VNLA: Volume 1
by TheWeebTrashIsHere
Summary: If you're a fan of RWBY like myself, then you may have some complaints. I've read through some of them, and I think I can fix a few things! Prepare for a fresh adventure with Team VNLA as they struggle to survive their first year at Beacon Academy, one year prior to Team RWBY. Meet old (and new) characters in this fun adventure, co-authored and edited by USB-Meister and others.
1. Chapter 0: Explanation

**If you're interested in Team**** RWBY:** Please stop here and check out USB-Meister (my co-writer). This story will not cover Team RWBY's adventure, but Meister's will (whenever he gets a start on it). The purpose of this AU/whatever you'd like to call it is to try and fix mistakes in the show, and instead of force-feeding the reader (you) the same plot twists they've already seen, I've put in the effort to craft a new team to allow for new surprises. Because I want to touch on a lot of topics, I will tell you this now: Each person is from a different kingdom to allow for completely different backgrounds, and _yes_, I'm sorry, one of them absolutely is a faunus. I formed the team this way for a reason, not because I was dying to have a faunus or anything like that. I wanted to be able to address a wide variety of topics, such as faunus discrimination, and I wanted it to happen first-hand. Sure, it's easy to _witness_ this prejudice, but I know that it hits different when your friend is the one being threatened. As for why each one is from a different kingdom, I wanted the characters to be completely different from one another so they would have less in common, so it will be more of a triumph when they finally come together as a team.

Whew, sorry - you can finally carry on!

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Hello! If you're here, then you either found this from my DeviantArt page (Waru-Katsu-chan), my brother USB-Meister (also located on this site), or somehow you've stumbled across it searching through RWBY stories. Either way, welcome! I'm just here to tell you that myself and a small team (made up of 3-4 people including myself) are re-working the RWBY canon to fix a few things! You'll be following my OC team, VNLA (yes i know very original), instead of Team RWBY. I go into detail about all of this in a Journal Entry posted on DeviantArt, so if you're truly curious or furious with me, please read that first. You can also access the group I lead from the provided link, in which you can read about _The 40th Biannual Vytal Festival_, **which I need OC teams for**. Please check them both out! Your support really makes a difference. Sorry I'm making you read so much - I know you're here for the story. Put the following at the end of your DeviantArt URL (after a /) and it should take you right to the page!

**Our Mission and Who We Are: ** the-rwby-overhaul/journal/Our-Mission-and-Who-We-Are-820211305

**The 40th Biannual Vytal Festival:** the-rwby-overhaul/journal/The-40th-Biannual-Vytal-Festival-820579181

**Our Group Page!:** the-rwby-overhaul

_We also add community OCs and AUs to our "Favorites" gallery. If you're a creator on DeviantArt, let me know and I'll check out your RWBY art!_

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Long story short, me and my team are re-writing the RWBY canon. That means that the truths in our story will be different from the truths in the show. You can call this an AU, if you'd like. So what makes our canon different? Just a minor thing. **We got rid of all the magic.**

That fact alone changes a lot of things.

1) There are no (magic) Maidens.

2) There are no (magic) relics.

3) There is no (magic) Salem.

4) There are no (magic) silver eyes.

While one or more of these things may still appear, they will have no source in magic. Obviously people will still be born with silver eyes, and while it will remain a rare trait, it doesn't mean you're an ancient warrior with the ability to wipe out entire hoards of Grimm with just your eyeballs. It means you have a rare eye color.

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This is what we can improve on that I've seen complaints about within the community (AKA these are not all complaints that I've personally had).

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1) Lack of character development.

a. RWBY introduces too many characters at once that never get developed. Example: Team CFVY, Glynda, Ciel, Emerald, etc. Where are these people from? Why do they do what they do? At least Team CFVY is getting a book series now, but that isn't too different from _The World of Remnant_ series "solution," now is it?

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2) Does not properly tackle serious issues.

a. RWBY is known to be silly, but when it gets serious, it tries to address issues like bullying and racism. The keyword here is _tries_. I've noticed people were unhappy with how they haphazardly threw in Cardin bullying a faunus. It just wasn't properly _addressed_.

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3) Ozpin.

a. I've noticed a lot of people are conflicted, when it comes to his character. I'll do my best to stick with eccentric headmaster.

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4) The Dust that Roman spent two volumes stealing?

a. They made this man steal Dust for TWO volumes, only for it to surmount to nothing. In the words of Stephanie Tanner of _Full House_, "How rude!"

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5) We have to answer questions within the story.

a. The _World of Remnant_ series of videos were made because RWBY didn't think it had time to answer those questions.

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6) "Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff."

a. I've seen a lot of complaints that the timeline is a little...messy. Volume 4 especially.

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7) The Grimm.

a. While this was improved upon, the Grimm were kind of introduced in Beacon's Initiation and then mostly forgotten about until Volume 2.

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8\. Plot Convenience.

a. This was especially prominent in one of the latest episodes (Volume 7, Episode 6: "A Night Off"). Things happen because they're _dramatic_, not because it's realistic.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, if you made it this far. Again, I suggest you at least glance at the Journal Entries linked above so you can fully understand what we're about. If you ask a question that I've already answered through a Journal, then I'll link you there.

Also please check out **USB-Meister** (also located on this site), he's done a shout-out for me and I can't be any more grateful! He's in the process of re-writing a story, but he has a story posted with 15 chapters! Something to read while I write this story up. Happy reading!


	2. Chapter 1: Violet Argyle

_**DISCLAIMER: Credits for the quotes used from the show will be listed at the end of the volume. There will also be credits for the new Grimm that will appear (if any), also listed at the end of the volume. Thank you for your patience and understanding.**_

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"_What does it mean to be a Huntsman or Huntress? That you fight to protect your Kingdom, or do you fight to protect Remnant entirely? Do you fight for those you love, or for everyone? Do you fight for your dignity or your image? Being a Huntsman is a noble duty, and only those who are willing to sacrifice themselves are fit to be one. They fight to preserve peace, justice, and safety within Remnant. Only the most selfless heroes walk this path, and it is one of glory and hardship. The Huntsmen are the truest symbol of chivalry, strength, and heroism…but that was never the whole truth."_

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A purple-haired girl sits in her room at a desk, lit only by a lamp. There is only one window, and yet it has curtains pulled over it to hide herself. Her bed is behind her, neat and tidy, while the rest of her room is simply bare. It's dark outside and there's no telling what time it is, but she can't sleep. She is seventeen, and has been accepted into Beacon, an academy deemed best in the world for aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. She passed her entrance exam with flying colors, and her reward will be the next four years in school as she learns how to fight and protect. She will be fighting the creatures known as Grimm, monsters who have only one desire: Slaughter. Just the mere thought of them makes her shiver. She grips her pen tightly, and scribbles down the rest of her letter.

_"…I know now that I was wrong. What I did was despicable, and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself. But I know what I can do now. I'm going to go to Beacon and try to make things right. I'm going to be a Huntress to help everyone. But I'm…really scared. I know I'm not the strongest, and I know I'm not the best, but I feel like this is the least I can do. Aunt Siva knows someone who works near Beacon, so I'll have a part-time job during the school year. I hope it can help with my nerves. And I can't thank you guys enough for sending me here. I miss you a lot, but it helped me—really. As soon as I'm done with school, I promise I'm going to come back. I'll stop them."_

The girl takes a deep breath and gathers her letter, made up of five pages. She's written so much, and yet she still feels as though it isn't enough. It never will, she tells herself. But here goes nothing. She folds up her papers and puts them into the empty envelope that had been waiting patiently on the right side of her desk. In the morning, she will hand the envelope to her Aunt before heading out the door for Beacon. Then, her new life will begin, and she'll put the past behind her for good.

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She awakes to hear her alarm on her scroll going off. She pushes the big red "Dismiss" button and eagerly jumps out of bed, getting dressed for the day. Her outfit consists of a white button-up shirt, a dark brown knit vest, dark blue jean shorts, a pale red bandana that she wears around her neck, and leather brown combat boots. She brushes her long dark purple hair, which matches her eyes, before slapping a beanie on top, pale red like her bandana. After that, she grabs her weapons, which lie against the foot of her bed. A pair of swords that transform into revolvers. She had made them during her four years at the training school she went to in Vale—Pharos Academy.

After grabbing her purple duffel bag filled with clothes and things, she exits her room, a spring in her step, and into the kitchen, where her Aunt is now standing. She is wearing a pastel blue bathrobe and matching slippers, with her red almost pink hair flying in every direction. There's just a couple of grey streaks, but it's only because of stress.

The woman seems to be fixing herself a cup of coffee. Sleepily, she glances over at her niece. "Oh, hey Violet. Good morning. You're beaming today."

Violet nods. "Yup!"

"That's good to hear."

"Oh, Aunt Siva? I was wondering if you could mail this to Mom and Dad for me?" Violet produces the envelope from behind her.

The woman smiles. "Of course. It'd be my pleasure." She takes the package and slides it into one of the pockets of her robe. Then, she grabs her cup and leans against the counter, taking a sip. "Well, are you nervous at all?"

Violet rubs her arm. "Kind of. I'm hoping the school's big enough so I don't have to see any of my old classmates."

Siva waves her hand dismissively. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about it. It's all behind you, right?" The young girl nods. "Then that's all that matters. Just do your best this time around, and I'm sure you'll have a great time."

"Thanks." Her eyes suddenly go over to the clock, and she gasps. "Oh man, it's already eight-thirty! I've got to eat breakfast!" She starts to hurry around the kitchen, making a small meal for herself.

Siva, confusedly, glances at the time as well. "What? Violet, the air bus doesn't leave until ten o'clock…"

"I've got to make sure I'm ready by then! I don't want to risk missing it!" Siva simply giggles, and lets the girl do whatever makes her feel at ease.

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However, already by 9:15 Violet is sitting on the couch, anxiously bouncing her right leg. Her bag is waiting patiently beside her.

Siva, having finished her coffee, goes to sit in an adjacent chair. "Hey kiddo? You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

She looks at her knowingly. "Violet…"

"I'm fine!" She plants both feet flat on the ground. "See? Just waiting for time to pass."

"If only it would go by slower, huh?"

"No. Faster. Please let it go faster."

"Hey now, you can't wish your life away! You'll miss all the good parts."

"And the horribly nerve-racking ones. Why can't I just fast-forward to being done with school?"

"Oh, but Violet! Think about all of the assignments you'll miss out on! All of that, uh…stuff you'll be learning!"

The girl sighs. "Yeah, that's true. I'm really looking forward to learning with these instructors."

"They're the best in the world," Siva insists. Then, she sighs. "I'm gonna miss having you around here. Now who's going to help me grade papers?"

Violet chuckles. "Well, I'll be back for the holidays."

"Girl you know I'm not the teacher to assign stuff for over the break."

"Why not? That's the best time to work!"

"For you, kid. You're probably the only student I've had that actually enjoys doing the work."

"It takes my mind off of things, you know?"

"I know, Violet." Siva leans forward and places a hand on her niece's knee. "It's going to be okay, alright? You're not going to be alone. There are going to be a whole bunch of other first-years there with you, and you know what's great about that?" Violet waits. "Nobody knows what the heck they're doing! Trust me, once you get put on a team, you'll be on easy street!"

"What was school like for you, Aunt Siva?"

The woman starts to sweat a little. "Well, uh…" she laughs nervously. "You know me. I've never liked doing work. Why do you think I have you helping me now?" The two laugh, but then Violet's gaze drifts downward.

"I'm really going to miss you…" she murmurs.

"I know. But, you'll probably forget about me once you get into the groove of things."

Violet's cheeks turn pink as she puffs her cheeks. "No I won't!"

Siva laughs. "I'm kidding! Just don't feel pressured to write, okay? I know how seriously you take your schoolwork. Please, just learn to take a break every once in a while? Especially since you're working a job."

"I'll be okay."

"And you'll give Tukson a hug for me when you see him, right?"

Violet smiles. "Totally."

"Good!" She pats her on the knee again and stands up. "Alright kiddo, you can go ahead and walk over to the bus stop. I know you're itching to be early." Slowly, Violet stands up, and after taking a couple of steps towards the door, she stops. Quickly, she turns back around and hugs her Aunt tightly.

"I love you."

Siva smiles and embraces her in return. "I love you too. Get out of here before you get any more sentimental on me!" Violet giggles before pulling away. With one last reassuring smile, she heads out the door.

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Violet quickly walks from her Aunt's house to the nearest map. She finds her location—the Residential District in Vale—and her destination. The bus stop looked to be closer to the Commercial District, so she starts heading north. As she walks, her swords hang on either side of her hips. The blades are segmented, so they can shrink once being transformed into the revolver form. The barrels can be fueled with Dust, although that drastically affects the recoil, which Violet hasn't fully mastered yet. But she will! One day.

Violet reaches the edge of the district, because now she's at the river which divides her and the Commercial District. To her surprise, the air bus is already here, and accepting passengers. It has an angular shape, sloping inwards from the front, with a set of fans built into its sides to help with turning. For propulsion, it has wind Dust ingrained into the four oars that also serve as its wings. Everyone is waiting at the back, showing their IDs and handing their luggage to workers that load it into a cargo bay on the other side of the air bus.

She starts to have a mild panic. How are there people already here? The bus doesn't leave until—! Okay, take a deep breath. Some people are like me and they want to be early! Right? She glances around for the time, and realizes that she's hardly early. She sighs and tries to ignore it, following the crowd and leaving her bag with the rest before hurrying onto the bus.

Once inside, she actually starts to feel a little relieved. Inside, there's an aisle, covered on either side by blue seats. There are stairs at the front, leading to the upper deck. As she takes it in, she realizes that she's here. She made it. She's going to Beacon. In thirty minutes this metal bird is going to take off, and it's going to take her to the school of her (recent) dreams. She's going to be a Huntress. And as that settles in, she can't help but squeal and become giddy with excitement.

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Eventually, the air bus finally takes to the sky. As Violet looks out the window, she sees that it's coming into formation with a few other air buses. All filled with aspiring students like her. Filled with old classmates from Pharos. Classmates who might remember her. What she did.

Out of nowhere, she starts to hear murmurs. She looks around nervously, and she sees so many people. Talking. Are they looking at her? Do they remember, do they know her? She wants it forgotten. Violet carefully sits down in a seat, staring at the floor with wide eyes. It's over, her life is over. There's always going to be someone who remembers. If it's not her ex-classmates, it's going to be her. She's never going to be a Huntress. It's over.

Suddenly, piercing her darkest fears, she hears a voice. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" Violet jerks her head up, looking around. That's when she sees a hologram near her, addressing all of the students. The figure is of a woman with blonde hair, green eyes, glasses, and pale white skin. Her outfit suggests she's a teacher, with a white top, black pants, and a black cape, purple on the inside. Her arms are behind her back.

Violet's confused, but the woman goes on. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With a high-pitched hum, the hologram vanishes. Violet's heartbeat has slowed down. It's a little annoying how Ms. Goodwitch spoke to them like they were children, but Violet was focusing on the message.

That's when she started to hear excited voices. "Hey, look!"

"Check that out!"

Violet looks out the window, and ahead of them, she can see Beacon Academy, sat atop a cliff. A waterfall spills out beneath it from inside the cliff, and the water spills into the river. It truly is a beautiful sight to behold. Violet, oddly enough, starts to feel better. If she wasn't serious about being a good person, she wouldn't be here. Still, she's afraid—but now she won't let that fear get the best of her.

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The air buses dock, and Violet is one of the first students off. As she grabs her bag, she notices another ship docking. It isn't an air bus, though. It actually looks like a private airship from Atlas. It's shiny and white with a sleek form. It looks like it may fit five people or so. She struggles to see who exactly is walking out, as students are beginning to flood out of the air bus, but she manages to catch brown hair.

Violet quickly gives up on being nosy, and continues on into the school. It's somewhat of a long walk there, but otherwise uneventful. The halls are large and grand, way different from Pharos. This place made her old school look pitiful.

The crowd ends up in the auditorium, with a stage on the other side of the room. There's a spotlight aiming at a lonesome microphone, so Violet makes herself invisible in the crowd as much as possible. All the while, she's keeping a keen eye out for any familiar faces. Things have been going well so far, which means at some point there's going to be a dip. All she can do is brace for it the best she can.

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After a while, the auditorium is completely filled. It should almost be time for the official introduction into Beacon. Violet eagerly waits for someone to step up to the mic, and sure enough, she soon sees Glynda Goodwitch, and who she can only assume to be the Headmaster of Beacon. He has pale white skin, brown eyes, and silver hair. He's wearing a three piece suit, made up of a black coat, black pants, a dark green vest, and a slightly lighter green shirt. His glasses are small and circular, but the glass seems to be tinted. Violet figures they're shades, but then why wear them inside?

She watches as he steps up to the microphone, taking a wide stance. "Ahem. I'll…keep this brief. You may refer to me as Professor Ozpin. I am your Headmaster. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose—direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Violet wants to clap her hands, but no one else seems to feel the same. She keeps her arms lowered, and instead pays attention to Glynda as she takes her turn at the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." All at once, the mass of students begin to filter out. Violet slips between the cracks and tries to find her way back to the front of the herd. As she pushes her way there, she begins to take note of the weapons of other students. Swords, pistols, hammers—some of them were disguised as everyday objects, like a briefcase.

Violet's eyes suddenly turn wide. A briefcase? She only knows one Huntress who uses that. Frantically, she creates as much distance as she can between her and that weapon, instead of waiting to be seen. She breaks out, now at the edge of the crowd. She pants, looking back but seeing no sign of her. Good, Violet figures. The less I see of her, the better. And with that, she helps herself to take a tour of the campus. She unfortunately doesn't have a schedule yet, but assumes that she'll be given one once she is put on her team. That way, at least, they'll have all the same classes. She starts to wonder what it'll be like, working with others.

Aunt Siva would tell her stories about when she was in Beacon. "Violet," she would say. "Just be thankful that they're putting more effort into team names nowadays. You know what team I got put on? Team Mustard! Do you know what it's like, going around school and introducing yourself as Team Mustard?" And yes, Violet is very happy that the school is putting more effort into it. But, she also understands that it isn't always easy to come up with one. What else are you supposed to do with the letters M-S-T-D?

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Eventually, night rolls around. The ballroom is huge, with sleeping bags spread all over the floor. As Violet notices, boys have taken one side of the room, while girls have taken the other. She's just come back from the bathroom after changing into pajamas. Now, she's wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and purple plaid pants. And her beanie, of course—how could she live without it? After picking a place to lay down, on the outskirts and away from the doors, she simply stares at the ceiling. She had neglected to pack a journal, which she now regrets. I could be writing to my parents, she mopes. Or Aunt Siva. Or Tukson. Or somebody!

She sighs and folds her arms over her eyes. She knows there's no point in worrying about it now. Besides, maybe Siva was right. Maybe she would get too busy to write in it anyhow.

Just then, Violet hears some of the boys laughing. She sits up and looks around, and on the right side of the room, she sees a pair of boys that seem to have trapped one of the girls. She has icy blue hair, skin as pale as snow, and seems to be wearing blue and white pajamas. It also seems that she is straight up not having a good time right now. So, Violet gets onto her feet and starts advancing towards them.

She listens to what they're saying.

"What's wrong, you scared?" One boy asks.

"Don't fall over!" The other jokes, pushing down the girl. It is at that point when Violet comes up behind her, crossing her arms and staring down her assailants.

Gravely, she warns, "I think it's time you kids go to bed."

The first boy sneers. "Oh yeah? And who are you?"

"Do you want to find out?"

They laugh, and the second boy steps forward to take care of her. As soon as he reaches his hand out to grab her, Violet instead seizes him and flips him over her, slamming him into the ground. Then, viciously, she turns back to the first kid and grabs him by the shirt, pinning him to the wall. The blood drains from his face in mere seconds.

She continues to glare right into his soul. "If I ever see you or your friend again, I'm throwing you off a cliff. Got it?" The boy nods and Violet releases him, stepping back. Very quickly, they retreat to the boys' side of the room.

Finally, she turns around and checks on the girl. Violet now sees that she's wearing a long blue scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, and her eyes are the bluest of blues.

However, the Huntress quickly snaps out of it and offers her hand. "Hey. I'm Violet." Slowly, the girl accepts, and gets back onto her feet. However, she still doesn't speak. Awkwardly, Violet asks, "So, what's your name?"

The other girl's cheeks turn pink. "Oh, um—Anna. My name's Anna."

Violet smiles. "It's nice to meet you. If you want, you can come sleep over where I'm at. I'd hate to see any more of those boys giving you a hard time."

"Oh, it's fine! I'd hate to make you babysit me like that."

"It's not babysitting, I've got your back! It's what friends do."

Anna's eyes widen. "Friends?"

"Of course. We're here for the same reason, so we might as well work together." Violet gently elbows her. "Besides, you don't look like the 'damsel in distress' type. I'm sure you could have taken them on, yeah?"

Anna, after a moment, giggles. "Sure."

"That's what I thought. I'll be right over here if you need me." Violet sticks her hands in her pockets as she starts to walk off. She waves her hand. "Good luck tomorrow, Anna! Hope to see you out there!"

Anna watches as her hero walks away. Honestly, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for her. However, it did feel a little suspicious. That's when her head starts to fill with all types of concern. Does she really want to be my friend? What if she's just trying to use me? What if it's all some sick joke? Oh no, she's going to be looking for me during initiation—what if we're fighting Grimm? What if she feeds me to a Grimm?!

She blinks, realizing how silly she sounds. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. It's just the anxiety talking—she has nothing to worry about. Violet seems to be a legit person, although that's a bold claim for someone she just met. Still, Anna can't help but feel some sort of a connection with her. Her feelings have betrayed her in the past, however, so she has little inclination to start believing them now…

Anna, without another thought about it, picks a sleeping bag on the outskirts, a distance from the boys, and only a little closer to Violet. She settles down and tries to go to sleep, although there are still a decent amount of people who still seem to be awake and chattering.

As for Violet, she lies down in her sleeping bag, once again staring at the ceiling, this time a little more fulfilled. She can't help but smile. I can do this, she tells herself. I've already got a head start. And with that, after more of her peers settle down, she closes her eyes and falls asleep.

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The next day, she wakes up and performs her morning routine. She brushes her teeth, puts on her clothes, and arms herself in the locker room. It's what you'd expect—tiled floors, the sound of shower water hitting the ground, and the smell of girl's perfume. Who has time for that?

The only thing that stuck out to Violet was that these were no ordinary lockers. These, as Glynda called them, were rocket lockers. That meant these things could propel themselves all over campus, coming to you if and when you'll need it. Still, she found it odd due to the "No dueling outside of your designated classroom" rule. She has to put that aside, however, as it will soon be her turn to go out and participate in initiation. There was a table outside of the ballroom with a list of names and times. Students sign up for a designated time, and that would be the point in which they must report to Beacon Cliff, or miss out on initiation. Violet didn't even want to think about who on Remnant would even be so careless to miss initiation. Then you don't even have a team! What happens then? You're kicked out? Assigned randomly? Who knows. But she was not about to find out.

To absolutely no one's surprise, no one wanted to go at any time before 10. Normally, Violet would jump at the opportunity for an early timeslot, but she actually wanted to see if she could find Anna's name. She searches the list eagerly, and to her surprise, Anna had signed up for 9 o'clock. It seems a few students have signed up for 9. Violet's impressed for a few seconds, before she realizes that the later time slots had been completely filled up. Early bird gets the worm—or in this case, the lazy early bird.

Violet signs up for 9 o'clock and sees that she has thirty minutes. She's about to walk away when her heart suddenly drops into her stomach. She quickly searches through the list again, having not thought about it before signing, and then her worst fears are confirmed. There she is—Coco Adel. My old classmate, Violet mopes sourly. And her friend Velvet. Fantastic. With a heavy sigh, she scratches her head. If she goes early, that increases her chances of getting seen. That in mind, Violet opts to wait a little longer. She doesn't have to be early all the time.

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She pushes it back for as long as she can, but finally her nerves get the best of her and she leaves ten minutes later. Still early—incredibly early—but to her surprise, she isn't the first one there. In fact, she's one of the last few. She's really been off her game ever since the air bus!

Violet anxiously scans for Anna, and spots the blue girl quite easily. She has a brown metal staff gripped tightly in her hands—her weapon, Violet assumes. Thankfully, there's still a space open next to her. What makes it so much worse is that Anna is standing next to Velvet, who is standing next to Coco. She tries not to look at them as she approaches, but she just can't tear her eyes away. Coco has short brown hair that fades to a burning orange. She has curled bangs on the right side of her face. As for her outfit, she wears a black beret, a mocha-colored sweater with frills around her neck, some black beaded necklaces, some sort of small black scarf, black pants, a sagging leather belt, black boots, and of course, a bandolier thrown over her right shoulder.

Velvet's outfit is much more simplistic. She wears a black bodysuit with a brown top, brown shorts with an intricate golden trim, and golden shoulder plates and vambraces. Her hair is long and brown, and a pair of furry rabbit ears poke out the top of her head. She's something called a faunus. Being one means that the individual has an animal trait, which in her case are the two large rabbit ears on the top of her head. Her kind are generally not accepted in Remnant, and so many of them choose to hide their traits, either with a bow, a cloak, or even a scarf. Depending on a faunus's heritage, they may not receive an obvious trait, like ears or a tail. Sometimes they have retractable claws, or in the case of the chameleon, they can change their skin color. Other than that, there is no way to physically prove that they're not human.

While some hide, others thrive off of the attention. Others fail to find a way to hide themselves due to living constraints, like Velvet. Her ears are too large to hide under a hat. Aquatic faunus, also, usually need to stay in the water, either due to a lack of legs or lack of lungs capable of breathing air. All of these things depend on your heritage as a faunus—if one's family is known for having hidden traits, then their offspring will continue to have hidden traits. If they are known to grow ears and/or tails, then that's what their offspring shall have. The only time it ever gets dicey is when two faunus of a different species have a child. Then, that child becomes a wild card. A dog and cat could have a son and he ends up a reptile. It's impossible to guess, as are the given traits.

The good thing about all of this, however, is that most faunus get night vision. Velvet is in the majority, and while she can't discern color in the dark, she can see much better than the average human can. Violet never gave her a hard time, although now the tables may be turned.

Wordlessly, she comes to stand next to Anna. There's a row of stone squares in the ground, one for each student—not that she understood why. Ozpin and Glynda are standing at the edge of the cliff, their backs to them. He seems to have a white mug in his hands, and Glynda is rummaging through her tablet scroll.

"Are you excited?" Violet asks without turning her head.

"Um, I guess." There's a painstakingly long silence. "Are…Are you okay?"

"I'm all good here. Nobody else bothered you last night, right?"

"No."

"That's good." Anna looks at her worriedly, and is about to repeat her question when Ozpin suddenly starts to speak.

"Well, seeing as everyone's here, I suppose we have no other choice but to begin."

Glynda, with her face buried in her scroll, points out, "It doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."

"What's the harm?" Glynda falls silent, and Ozpin addresses the students. "For years you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." He turns to his assistant. "Honestly Glynda, you make me say this every year."

"Consistency, professor," she hisses. To everyone else, she continues, "Now I'm sure many of you have heard about the assignment of teams. Some of you may think these are rumors, but I'm here to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today." Violet could hear one or two students groaning quietly.

Ozpin picks up, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." He lifts his mug. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." That's what had Violet on edge. Eye contact? That's all it takes? Oh no.

Ozpin must have seen a few terrified faces, because he starts to chuckle. "I don't know why everyone's always so surprised by that. After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." That's when Glynda clears her throat, and then Ozpin tilts his head, glancing up at the sky. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Please be aware of how many trees you damage and cut down along the way. We've gotten many complaints from our Board of Environmental Protection about that. The forest doesn't replenish itself, you know."

Glynda sighs. "Actually, Professor Ozpin, it does."

He looks at her for a few moments. "…Really?"

"Professor."

"Ah, fine." He takes a sip of coffee and turns back to his freshmen. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation." With a small and innocent smile, he adds, "Unlike during the Entrance Exam, our instructors will not interfere." Violet's jaw drops. How can they do that? Are they allowed to do that?! "You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and yes you need a partner by then, and then you must return here to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" The group is silent. "Good! Take your positions." Violet takes a deep breath, unsheathing her weapons and placing her right foot back and her left foot forward.

"Violet?" Anna whispers. "What's about to happen?"

That's when the stone plate at the beginning of the line suddenly springs up, launching a student into the air. Anna shrieks.

"That. That's about to happen." Violet almost turns her head to look, then remembers why she can't. "Didn't you practice landing strategies at your old school?"

Anna speaks quickly. "Well yeah but that doesn't make it any less scary!"

"You've made it this far. You'll be okay, just come up with a landing strategy."

The girl whimpers, but knows that Violet's right. One by one, student after student is launched into the air. Ozpin watches as they soar over the Emerald Forest. After the last one is gone, he takes another sip from his coffee mug.

Glynda sighs. "You're unbearable."

He shrugs. "Perhaps." Smiling, once again, he faces her and holds his mug upside down. "Could you get me another cup of coffee? I've run dry." She groans and rolls her eyes, looking down at the tablet. It's going to be an…interesting year, to say the least.

* * *

_Co-Authored and Edited by USB-Meister_

_._

_ohmygod__ohmygod__ohmygod__ohmygod__ohmygodOHMYGOD GUYS I DID IT! Sorry okay *ahem* I'm together. Thank you, to those of you who have followed me already! Specifically, Agent Draakis, BlueFlame GC, DarkistDays, LieutenantJoker342, Lucaridis, MadTitan9, and Totallynotabot. As for favorites, thank you to DarkistDays, LieutenantJoker342, and MadTitan9! I hope you all continue to follow me through this journey. I'll do my best to add to this regularly (every Wednesday), but don't bet on it. If you REALLY want to know when a new part comes out, you can go ahead and uh...**hit that follow button**. okay sorry done with the selfish plug hope u enjoyed bai  
_


	3. Chapter 2: Rough Landing

Violet soars through the air, the wind hitting her face violently. She lost all track of Anna, Coco, and Velvet. None of it matters if I'm dead, she figures, and she starts to plan out her landing strategy. Her best bet is to use her semblance once she gets closer to the treeline, so when she does, six arms appear from her back, created from her aura. They appear as a wavering purple color, and they grab onto anything to slow down her descent.

Huntsmen learn how to channel their aura in order to use a semblance, which is a special ability unique to each fighter. This could be enhanced speed, the ability to create clones, or a way to deal an insane amount of damage after receiving it. Each semblance has great strengths, but equally terrible weaknesses. For instance, one may be able to move at an accelerated rate, but the more they use it, the more it drains them, and overuse may lead to the user passing out. A Huntress may be able to become more powerful, but only when she takes damage. Semblances are a Huntsman's greatest tool, but only when used correctly, safely, and with care.

Aura, the very thing that fuels a semblance, is a manifestation of one's soul. It is a protective field that constantly surrounds a person, and it shields them from physical attacks and extreme weather. Not everyone has access to their aura, however, and unless you're a fighter, it's probably locked (which means it won't protect you). Without an aura, the warrior is able to be cut or shot. It gets continuously worn down by attacks, so it can be gotten rid of by foes. However, it also regenerates, so long as the Huntsman stays out of trouble for a while. The only thing it can't do is protect a Huntsmen from attacks on the inside, such as poison or illness. That's important to be mindful of; some tend to forget that.

.

Once Violet finds herself at a safe velocity and height, she dismisses the arms and rolls onto the ground, looking around and listening for any Grimm. After a moment, she stands up, assuming she's in the clear. However, she assumes wrong, because she's suddenly hit in the back, knocked onto her face, and then someone plants their foot on her back. Violet's familiar with the attack.

With her face pressed against the dirt, she speaks. "I should have guessed you were following me."

Coco ignores her. "What are you doing here?"

"Why are any of us here? I'm going to be a Huntress."

"Since when were you so noble?"

"Get off of me."

"Not until you tell me why you're really here."

"Get off."

"You didn't scare me then, you aren't going to scare me now. Now give me an answer!"

"Get off!" Violet suddenly uses her semblance, summoning two arms this time, which grab Coco by the leg and force her to trip. The warrior falls onto her back, giving Violet enough time to get back onto her feet.

The two face each other, Coco's eyes burning behind her black aviators. "You really get on my nerves."

"Just hear me out."

Coco crosses her arms. "You have thirty seconds."

"I'm not like that anymore! Please, you have to believe me—I did what I did because I thought it was the best choice! I was just a confused kid, I didn't want to risk getting hurt."

"So you thought hurting others would put you on top?"

"No one bothers you if they're afraid."

"Too bad. Your thirty seconds are up." She starts to march towards her rival, jabbing her finger into her face. "Don't think saving that girl changed my mind. I saw the way you attacked those guys. You're just advancing your own selfish goals."

Violet's eyes widen. "You saw that?"

"Velvet's the only reason I didn't kick your ass right then and there." Coco steps back. "Tell me. Are you still with them? The White Fang?"

"No, I never was! I made the mistake of looking up to them. I thought they were going to make things better for us."

"For you. You thought they would benefit you. Did you ever think about what they were going to do to humans?" Angrily, she suddenly darts for Violet's beanie, ripping it off of her head. The girl gasps, but she's too slow, and now her two large dog ears are exposed. They mostly match the color of her hair, but there are also some darker patches.

Coco frowns. "I'm not falling for this act of yours. People like you never change." She drops the accessory onto the ground, but Violet's eyes don't move from hers.

"Neither do you."

Coco scoffs. "Stay out of my way, Argyle." She walks by Violet, shoving her out of the way. "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else."

Violet murmurs under her breath as she watches her leave. "Please just leave me alone, Adel…" She looks down at her beanie and picks it up, brushing it off. With a heavy sigh, she puts it back on her head, concealing herself once again. Well, she figures. There are worse ways to start off initiation, right?

That's when she hears a very low growl.

Violet gulps as she whips out her pistols. "Uh oh." She quickly scans her surroundings, but she can't see anything. She grits her teeth anxiously. "Where is it?" Suddenly there's a loud thud behind her, and the impact sends her flying forward. She hits the ground, but successfully rolls back into a fighting position. She aims her guns to find a Beowolf standing at the other end of them. She starts firing, but then she realizes that this isn't just a Beowolf. It's an Alpha. It howls as the bullets almost seems to bounce off of it, and then it lurches forward. In her shock, she's too startled to move, and it lands right on top of her. One of her arms are pinned, but as she lifts her other arm the Grimm knocks her pistol out of her hand. She gasps, and it roars in her face. It picks up its paw to end her life, and time suddenly seems to slow down. Is this what happens when you die? she wonders. The moments leading up to it seem to last forever. I guess it leaves time for reflection. Her eyes start to water a little. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Huntress. Maybe Coco's right. I'll never be able to fix what I did…!

Everything suddenly goes back to normal as she hears a guttural warcry, and the Beowolf winces. Her eyes open to see it dissipating into black smoke. Enough of it vanishes to where she can see someone standing behind the Grimm. It looks like he punched right through it. He appears to be a large man with tan skin and medium-length dark brown hair. He's wearing an olive green coat with darker green accents, and there's a belt strapped around his waist. What terrified her most was the absolute size of him—he's eight feet tall. He also seems to have Dust stabbed into his arms. She can see it glowing through his skin in his veins. With a grunt, he starts to take the Dust out, and his muscles decrease. He's still ripped, but he does seem slightly friendlier now.

He crosses his arms and looks straight at Violet. "That's the thing about Grimm. They never leave anything behind, in death or in life. You should be more careful."

She swallows nervously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Professor Rainart. I teach Dust Application at Beacon."

"What? You're a teacher? But the headmaster said—"

The professor chuckles. "Did you really think Ozpin was going to send a bunch of kids like you into a forest with no sort of protection?" Violet doesn't answer, so he goes ahead and points behind her. "The relics are that way. Some of your peers have already chosen their token. They're on their way back now. I'd hurry if I were you."

"Thank you, Professor Rainart." She hurries off again, and Professor Rainart goes back to his routine.

.

Ozpin, who's been peering over Glynda's shoulder, chuckles. "She just can't catch a break, can she?"

"She's lucky Professor Rainart was there."

"That's why we have him out there, is it not?"

"But what would she have done if he wasn't there?"

"But he was."

Glynda glares at him. "You realize how irresponsible and dangerous this is, don't you?"

"Well of course."

"Then you should be a bit more concerned about these students."

"They can handle themselves! Look," he points to another camera angle on her tablet. "These two are doing just fine."

Glynda zooms in on the students. "Ah, yes. I had high expectations for Mr. Vanta."

"He's the boy who you found fighting that criminal, yes?"

"And his partner appears to be the boy sent here from Atlas."

Ozpin squints his eyes. "I can't say I recognize him, Glynda."

Without looking up, she says, "We were given specific instructions to keep an eye on him."

Ozpin takes a sip from his mug, having finally gotten himself more coffee only a little while ago. "Hm…Ah yes, I recall now. I find that quite odd. He isn't a Schnee, is he?"

"No sir. However, he has a sister in the military by the name of Jade Forrest. She's a Specialist in the Atlesian Military's Special Operatives unit."

Ozpin looks on confusedly. "And that's grounds for special treatment?"

"Normally, no. Ms. Forrest had to receive clearance from General Ironwood before sending him here."

"Then some sort of emergency, perhaps…Glynda, could you—?"

"We cannot request more information about him, Professor Ozpin. He is currently under Atlas' witness protection program."

"Hm. Quite mysterious." He takes a sip from his mug. "I'm sure we can expect great things from a student who comes from Atlas."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Glydna says uneasily.

Ozpin looks at the tablet, and his eyes widen. "Oh my."

.

There are two boys standing in a clearing. One has short black hair and silver eyes. He's wearing a sleeveless black hoodie with a red trim, white harem pants, red bandages wrapped around his hands and ankles, and black running shoes. The other boy has messy brown hair and green eyes. He's wearing a white t-shirt with two green stripes across his chest, maroon pants, black boots, black training pads on his elbows and knees, and a pair of goggles pulled onto his head instead of over his eyes.

That boy happens to be the one who is currently hanging upside down in a tree. His head is still spinning from being attacked by an Ursa, which the other had defeated mere moments ago.

"Ugh…did we win?" The Atlas boy asks.

His partner sighs. "Come on, Lincoln. We don't have time to be playing around."

"Uh…okay." And with that, Lincoln promptly falls out of the tree. "Ow." He unsteadily gets onto his feet, brushing himself off. "It's a good thing I'm wearing my armor."

"Armor?"

He taps his elbow pads. "These!"

"That's…not armor."

Lincoln crosses his arms and turns away. "Well it's more than you have, Nero."

The other sighs again. "Come on." The two start to walk, with him in the lead. Lincoln skips behind him and looks around in awe at the forest.

He smiles wide. "This is pretty. We don't have forests like this in Atlas."

"That's where you're from?"

"Yup."

"Hm. You wouldn't happen to be the guy who showed up in his own airship, would you?"

Lincoln sighs. "Yeah, no that was me."

"What's that all about? I thought only a Schnee would do something like that."

"Well, it's…" he rubs the back of his head. "…complicated."

"I'll take your word for it. As long as it doesn't interfere with our progress, I don't care."

"Nope, I'm as ready as ever! That Ursa caught me by surprise, but I'm prepared this time!" Lincoln balls his hands into fists, a faint green glow emanating from them, before he bends down and smashes them into the earth. When they come out, he's holding two large balls of dirt, each weighing about fifty pounds. They seemed weightless to him, however.

Nero looks mildly impressed. "Is that your semblance?"

Lincoln looks at him cluelessly as he drops the dirt. "My what?"

He rolls his eyes. "Your semblance."

"Oh, you mean my super power!"

"…Sure."

"Yeah, it makes me strong enough so I can lift up to…" Lincoln starts counting on his fingers. "Um…a lot! But it's pretty dangerous if I'm not careful."

"What do you mean?"

He drops the dirt. "Well, if I try to pick up something really heavy, I have to redirect my aura into my arms and legs. It pretty much leaves most of my body exposed."

Nero's eyebrows move up. "Wow. I think that's the most intelligent sentence I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

"Thanks!"

Suddenly, the two boys hear a low growl behind them. Slowly, they turn around, and from the shrubs they can see several sets of burning red-orange eyes staring at them.

.

Violet's ears twitch as she hears a pair of distant screams. She glances off in that direction worriedly.

To no one in particular, she mutters, "I hope Professor Rainart gets there in time…" Then, she continues forward. She's only fought a couple of Beowolves so far, and frankly, she's disappointed. How is she supposed to show off her skills when there's nothing around to fight? Maybe I need to be more negative, she tells herself. However, before she can even conceive a plan, she hears some of the foliage shaking.

"Hello?" She calls out. She hears no response, so she shouts again, "Is anyone out there?"

Suddenly, she hears a high-pitched screech. Violet covers her ears, but figures that's the answer she was looking for. She runs in the direction of where she thinks it came from, until she starts to hear a tree shaking fervently. She looks up, and sees a familiar blue-haired girl.

"Anna!" Instead of looking grateful, she looks terrified.

"We have to leave," she urges.

"What, why?" Violet starts climbing the tree to cut down her new partner.

"You heard me scream, right?"

Violet's eyes widen. "That was you?"

"It's my semblance. I can scream really loud, and it frightens away the Grimm."

That's when it clicks. "You weren't calling for help, you were scaring something away."

"And I think it's going to come back." Violet cuts Anna down, and the girl hits the ground with a small thud.

Violet comes down after her and helps her up. "How'd you end up here?"

"I guess I'm just so light, I ended up landing ahead of everyone else."

"Yeah, you are kind of small."

"H-Hey!"

"Come on, let's get out of here." Just as the two begin to run, they hear something move behind them. Violet's instincts cause her to start running faster, although Anna seems to be at her limit. Seeing her struggle, Violet grabs her. "Come on!" They continue running for their lives, although Anna looks to be struggling to say something.

"Violet—wait—the Grimm—!"

"I know, that's why we're running!"

"No—I know what's—behind us!"

"Can we fight it?"

"No, it's a—!"

Suddenly, Violet hears a monstrous hiss. She panics, and her first reaction is to push Anna off to one side while she jumps to the other. She acts just in time, because as she hits the ground, she sees the black head of a King Taijitu snap forward, trying to bite them. Without hesitation, Violet jumps to her feet and draws her swords, trying to stab at its eyes. It pulls its head away too fast, however, and now the two girls are looking up at a very long snake Grimm. It has two heads, one on each end of its body, and they are conjoined in the center. One half is white, and the other is black, but they both have bony plates on their heads. Their eyes are just like every other Grimm's—fiery red and orange.

"We've got to kill it," Violet pants.

"How?"

"Break its teeth—" The plan's interrupted by both halves of the snake darting forward again. The girls are forced to jump back, and Violet finishes explaining the plan, "—and take off its heads!" She lands, looking at it determinedly. "I'll take the black one." Both of the snake heads hiss angrily.

Violet swiftly turns her swords into revolvers and begins to blast the black head of the Grimm relentlessly, until it turns towards her with malicious intent. She sees arrows flying by the other half, so she assumes that Anna's staff transforms into a bow. The two heads of the Taijitu hiss as they each dart at their own target. Violet rolls under the smash of the black head as it makes a small crater in the ground where it's buried itself. She risks a glance at Anna to see her grab one of its fangs as it throws her into the air. She lets go and seems to float gracefully in the air before nocking an arrow and firing. The white head hisses in pain and flails backward. Violet hears another hiss and jumps to the side to avoid another slam. I have to be more careful, she chides herself.

She reverses her grip on her right sword and fires, using the recoil of the built-in revolver to put more force behind her attack. It buries itself into the Grimm's flesh with a wet squelch, before being torn out with another trigger pull. The black head hisses in pain and pulls back, watching her warily. She looks past it and sees the white head snap at Anna, catching one of her scarf tails on its fangs. Anna screams as she is jerked back and thrown into the air. She flails her arms wildly as her staff flies out of her hands. It opens its threatening maw, ready to devour her whole.

Violet shouts, "Anna!" The black head hisses, giving her mere moments to react. A pair of ethereal arms pop out of her back and grab the Grimm's fangs, stopping them inches from Violet's face. She throws one of her swords up for another arm to catch. The arm tosses the weapon up and catches it by the blade before throwing it skyward. When the blade comes back down, the arm punches it, burying it to the hilt into the white snake's head. It hisses and flails around. Anna lands on the snake's head and grabs the hilt, hanging on for dear life.

"Violet!" She panics.

"Hang on!" The third arm punches one of the fangs out of the Taijitu's mouth, causing it to hiss angrily and whip its head back. The white head focuses on her as her arms fade away and the black head retreats. The white head snaps down at her. She rolls to the side and reverses the grip on her sword to use the revolver's recoil to speed it up. Just as she fires, she spins the sword in her hand so its blade flies right into the Taijitu's eye. It hisses angrily and rears its head back, taking Violet with it. She hangs on to one of its scales as she tears her sword out and stabs it again. It hisses and shakes its head side to side.

Violet loses her grip fairly quickly and is thrown to the side. She hears another scream and sees that Anna has wrenched her sword free and is also thrown off. She rolls across the ground and slowly pushes herself back up. She tightens her grip on Violet's sword as Violet holds her own up. The white head bobs side to side as it glares at them, the black head hovering behind it. The black head darts at Anna, voting to use its large head as a club rather than trying to bite with its fang, as the white head snaps at Violet. She cartwheels back from the snap and transforms her sword into its revolver form, fanning the hammer and unloading the last three shots into the Taijitu's face. It hisses angrily and moves back. Violet is not about to give it reprieve and charges forward. It seems surprised, as it does not react to her jumping at it. She stabs it in the nose and yanks her blade out before it can throw her into the air. She dashes forward and slices up its underbelly. The white half gives one last hiss before falling to the ground and finally succumbing to its wounds. The black head, enraged, whips itself around and slams its head into the ground next to her.

Anna shouts and chases after it, leaping onto it and stabbing it through the roof of its mouth. It thrashes left and right in an attempt to throw her, but cannot force her off. Anna pulls the trigger and saws the blade across the head. With a drawn out warcry, she continues firing until the blade exits through the front of the Taijitu's head. The head collapses to the ground, its upper jaw being cut in half.

Violet's eyes widen with surprise. "Whoa."

Panting, Anna stands up, withdraws the blade, and walks over towards her partner as the Grimm starts to vanish. She gives the sword back to Violet, and starts to look around.

"Have you seen my staff?" She asks.

"Uh…" Violet blinks and starts looking. "No. But it can't be far." They search in the general direction of where Anna might have been, and within a few moments Anna's staff is recovered.

She sighs. "Finally."

"Maybe now we can get to the relic site," Violet says hopefully. But that's when she starts to hear something. She looks off to her left, and Anna copies a few moments later. They stare…and suddenly a pair of boys hop over the bushes. They don't know them yet, but it's Lincoln and Nero.

Lincoln has a terrified expression on his face, and is kind enough to give warning by screaming, "Run!" Without hesitation, Violet grabs Anna and they fall behind the boys. Anna panics as she looks back, because she sees an entire pack of Beowolves chasing after them.

"We can't lure them to the relics!" Violet shouts.

Nero snarls. "Do you have a better idea eggplant?"

"Eggplant?!"

Lincoln intervenes with a whine, "We're gonna diiiiiiiiie!"

"Not today!" Violet insists. She draws her pistols and activates her semblance, summoning two arms out of her back. She passes her weapons to them, and they start firing.

"Whoa!" Lincoln coos, his eyes sparkling.

Violet continues to dictate orders. "If anyone else has a semblance they can use while running, it's best to use it now!" Lincoln squeals excitedly as he reaches down, channeling aura into his hands so he can dig down and grab large clumps of earth. He starts throwing them back, hitting the Grimm in their faces. Their numbers are dwindling, but not quite fast enough.

Violet tightens her fists. "It's taking too long. We need to fight them!" She takes her guns into her own two hands, dismisses her semblance, and spins on her heel to face the oncoming Grimm.

"Violet!" Anna shouts, coming to a stop moments later. They watch as Violet opens fire on the encroaching horde. One Beowolf leaps at her, but just before it can reach her, an arrow flies past her and into the skull of the Grimm and throws it back. Anna dashes in moments later to bat aside another with her staff and jumps onto its shoulder to leap over and dodge another's charge, leading to the two becoming a tangled mess. She transforms her weapon in midair to send an arrow into the top one's skull. Violet charges in after her, transforming her revolvers into swords and slicing through the jaw of a cocky Beowolf that decided she was weak and open.

She hears a warcry and turns to see Lincoln charging in with a sweep so powerful he spins with his buster sword, cleaving off the heads of two Beowolves and lodging the blade halfway through a third's. A fourth Beowolf leaps to take advantage, but finds its claws hitting a shield rather than striking aura. Nero parries the Grimm's claws with one shield as a stiletto forms from the other gauntlet. He stabs the Beowolf in the neck and tears the narrow blade out of its throat and shoves it to the ground. Lincoln gives him a nod as the two regroup with Violet. Anna sprints over and slides to a crouch, bow at the ready.

They all stand in the center of the clearing, the remaining pack members having moved back and chosen to circle them. Violet glances at her fellow students. Anna is a far cry from the girl she had helped in the ballroom. She has a determined look on her face as she stands up and nocks an arrow. Violet turns to the two boys. The one with brown hair looks slightly afraid, but also exhilarated. The middle of his sword is thick with clear showing of mechanisms, however Violet can't tell what his sword turns into. The last boy has black hair and a disturbingly neutral look on his face. His weapons are a pair of gauntlets that turn into shields, stilettos and—if the barrel-like protrusions can be trusted—guns.

Violet decides now is a good time to introduce herself. Just in case they all have a horrible and excruciatingly painful death. "I'm Violet, by the way."

Her shy partner opts to be next. "A-Anna." She seems tense, but it quickly dissolves as she returns her focus to the Grimm.

"Oh, I'm Lincoln!"

"Nero." His voice is just as neutral and emotionless as his face.

The Beowolves all howl as one of the trees shakes. A black shape hangs under it for a moment before dropping into the clearing, revealing itself to be the Beowolf's larger and more fearsome counterpart—an Alpha Beowolf.

Lincoln is the first to voice his confusion. "They can climb trees?!" The Alpha growls as the other Beowolves stop circling and choose to watch.

Anna is afraid now, too. "What do we do?"

Violet glances over at Nero. "You got guns on those?" A series of clicks reveals that the barrels were (in fact) gun barrels, and that they work in conjunction with the shields. "Stay back and chip away at it whenever you can. Lincoln, keep it off balance with your semblance. Anna and I will charge and take it on up close."

The girl looks at her incredulously. "W-What?!" The Beowolf's roar shakes them out of planning as it gets onto two legs and bristles its fur.

Violet takes a deep breath. "Ready?"

Anna blurts, "No!"

Lincoln bounces excitedly. "I guess so!" He seems to have gotten over the tree-climbing.

Nero rolls his eyes. "We're dead."

The Alpha charges at Anna. She jumps back as Nero unloads his gauntlets into it. Violet charges in and slashes across its side, quickly dashing out of its range before it can retaliate. It snarls and spins around to attack her, but lurches forward when a rock splashes across its back. Violet uses its confusion to sneak in another cut, but her greed costs her as it bats her across the face and sends her spinning through the air. She rolls across the ground with a cry of pain and slowly pushes herself up. Wiping the dirt from her cheek, she thinks to herself, Its attacks are insane…! She looks up and sees it barreling at her.

She rolls to the side and narrowly dodges its pounce. She transforms one of her swords and fires at its head, causing it to snarl and back away. Anna fires an arrow into its side and draws its attention before another rock crashes against it. It turns to attack Lincoln, but Nero suddenly appears from seemingly nowhere in the trees and leaps onto its shoulders. It roars and attempts to grab him, but is unable to stop him from pressing his guns into its neck and opening fire. It howls as chunks of its neck are sent flying and it slowly becomes more sluggish. Once his guns click empty, Nero switches to the stilettos to stab it. However, it's had enough and finally grabs him. It roars victoriously and slams him headfirst into the ground. It ducks its head down and snaps at his neck, but Nero is barely able to keep its jaws from closing.

He shouts angrily, "I could use some help here!"

The Alpha growls as it feels another arrow embed itself in its side, and a revolver round spark against its armor. It pauses as a large shadow looms over it.

It's Lincoln—with a really big rock. "Hiiii-yah!" He hurls the largest boulder any of them have seen up to this point. It explodes against the Alpha and throws it across the clearing, raining debris down on Nero as well. He claws his way out from under the earth moments later.

He growls at his partner. "You almost killed me, you idiot!"

Lincoln waves it off. "Nah, you were fine, I wasn't gonna hurt you!"

Violet intervenes, "Guys? We have a problem…" Everyone turns their heads to see that the rest of the pack isn't very happy with them. The Beowolves all growl maliciously, each one getting ready to pounce.

Lincoln gulps. "Um…now are we gonna die?"

Nero nods. "Yup."

That is when an unlikely hero arrives. There's another loud and fierce roar, and from behind the Beowolves, a large Ursa emerges from the trees. It intimidates them all, forcing them to flee.

Lincoln throws his arms into the air. "Aw, yeah!" Then the Ursa sets its sights on them, causing Lincoln to turn pale. "Oh no."

Nero glances over. "Are we running again?"

The Ursa starts to charge.

Violet blurts, "Go!" They all turn and start to run, the Ursa closing in fast. Lincoln frantically grabs rocks and starts throwing them back, but Nero notices him getting sluggish.

He grits his teeth. "Hey, hey, be careful! You need your aura if you want to make it out of this!"

"No…choice…" Lincoln mutters tiredly. "Gotta keep…slowing it down…!" He throws one last rock before his aura is completely drained, making Nero growl.

"You idiot!"

Violet shouts, "We don't have time for that! We need to hide!"

Nero starts to argue with her. "All you ever want to do is run! How do you expect to be a Huntress when—?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to keep us alive!"

"You're bossing us around!"

Lincoln suddenly intervenes and points to his right, "Hey look, a thing!" Surprisingly enough, everyone turns their heads, and sure enough he's noticed a safe alcove.

Violet calls. "Run for it!" The team darts to their right, and the Ursa thankfully can't turn as fast. While it runs off course, the four students have plenty of time to reach the crawlspace Lincoln spotted. There's what used to be a cave entrance, now blocked almost entirely by rocks. At the top, however, is a small hole where the students can slip in. Violet urges everyone in, and without hesitation Nero goes in first, followed by Lincoln.

Anna turns to her partner. "Go."

Violet looks at her sternly. "No, you first." Then they hear the incoming sprint of a giant Ursa. She grabs Anna by the arms. "Go." The girl nods before climbing in. Violet climbs after her, and moments after landing inside of a cave, they hear the Ursa roaring, tearing away at their only barricade.

Nero growls. "Great. We're trapped." Violet looks around and sees that the cave goes further on.

She faces everyone. "Not yet. Come on." She starts walking, and slowly everyone falls in behind her. She takes a deep breath as she realizes the burden on her shoulders. She may be responsible for their epic victory, or terrible, horrific death…

* * *

_Co-Authored and Edited by USB-Meister_


	4. Chapter 3: An Unstoppable Force

Glynda is frantically searching through her contacts. "We need to call Hazel and tell him there are students trapped." Ozpin sips his coffee, but then his face contorts with disgust, as it is now cold.

He sighs and pours it out beside him before looking over at her. "I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Glynda."

She looks at him incredulously. "With all do respect, they're in _real_ danger, professor! This isn't the time for your games!"

"They're well-prepared for a cave adventure," he insists. "At least two of them have a way of seeing."

Glynda squints her eyes. "What?"

"Don't worry yourself with it, Glynda. They'll be fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because I do." He smiles. "They won't learn if we constantly save them from every little thing, now will they?"

Glynda frowns, continuing to search her contacts. "I'm still calling Professor Rainart."

"Oh you can't."

"…_What_?"

"I deleted his contact from your tablet."

"You _what_?!"

Slower, Ozpin repeats, "I de-lete-ed his con-tact—"

"I _heard_ you," she interrupts. "But how could you?!"

"Because I knew you were going to do this." He smiles at her and lifts his mug. "Now, if you plan to rush back to the school to get your scroll, would you mind getting me another cup of coffee?"

Glynda growls. "You've had _enough_ coffee for today, Professor." Ozpin frowns, his plan having failed, and his assistant starts hurrying back to the campus so she can call in aid for the students.

.

The unlikely team walk through the dark, their only light vanishing quickly.

Nero starts complaining. "How are we supposed to make it out of here? It's pitch-black."

Lincoln pipes up, "Well! I can still see, uh…my hands! I think?" He panics. "Are these my hands?!"

Anna giggles. "Those are _my _hands, Lincoln. I'm hanging on to you so we don't get lost."

"Awwwww, thanks!"

Violet stops in her tracks. "We can't keep walking blindly through here. Someone's going to get hurt. We need to find some way of producing a light."

Lincoln blurts, "Oh! Why didn't you say so?" Suddenly, a light emits from his hands. As Violet's eyes focus, she sees that he actually has his scroll with him, and he's just turned the flashlight on.

She facepalms. "Lincoln, we're not even supposed to _have _our scrolls."

"Oh, we're not? Whoops." Lincoln turns off the flashlight, and right before he can put it away, Violet can see Nero snatch it out of his hands.

"I'm not dying because you want to follow the rules!" He hisses. The light quickly comes back on, and he takes the lead. Everyone walks behind him, trying to ignore the sound of the Ursa slowly but surely breaking into the cave.

Lincoln whimpers. "How long do we have?"

"Not long," his partner replies. "Probably a few minutes."

Anna swallows nervously. "Shouldn't we be hurrying…?"

Nero glares back at her. "What, so we can let _everything_ in this cave know we're here?" Anna shrinks, and protectively Violet walks in front of her.

She stares fearlessly into his eyes. "Hey, back off. Your attitude will attract Grimm way faster than the sounds we make." The boy says nothing and looks forward again. It's mostly silence for a few moments, the tension in the air becoming thick. The darkness makes it all the more suffocating, but thankfully they start to see a light source, breathing life into them again.

Lincoln squeals. "The exit!" Then they hear the sound of an Ursa breaking down their only barricade.

Violet starts running. "Come on!" The students make it out of the cave, but they can hear the Ursa close behind.

Nero turns around, bracing himself. "We have to face it, we can't outrun it. Lincoln! You said your weapon is a turret?"

The boy beams. "Oh yeah! It's super cool! But honestly sometimes it really gets on my nerves 'cause—"

"_Use it_!"

Lincoln jumps and fumbles around with his sword. "G-Got it!" He stands beside his friend and faces the entrance of the cave triumphantly. "Ha-ha! Meet your maker, uh…big guy!" His weapon begins to transform, but then there's a strange..._clicking_ noise. His face turns pale, and he starts shaking it furiously. "Oh no, no-no-no-no-_no_! Not now!"

"What's wrong with it?" Violet asks.

"Um—!" Lincoln laughs nervously, hitting his sword against a nearby tree. "It's fine, this happens!" He ends up accidentally cutting it down. "Whoops."

"We're going to _die_, you idiot!" Nero yells.

"What's _wrong_?" Violet repeats.

Lincoln gulps. "My weapon's defective."

Nero looks at him incredulously. "It's _what_?" He suddenly explodes. "How did you manage to do _that_?!"

The boy frowns. "Hey, I didn't have the luxury of someone else helping me fix my weapon at Atlas! Our teacher said 'You built it, you should know how to repair it!'"

Nero covers his face. "We're going to die."

Violet grits her teeth. "We could always _try_ fighting, you know."

"What's a moron, a bossy eggplant, and a nobody gonna do against an Ursa that size without a turret?" Anna, having had enough, finally marches forward.

Lincoln's jaw drops as he watches. "Guys?"

They don't seem to notice him or Anna, as Violet is retaliating. "We have to do this as a _team_."

"And then we'll _die_ as a team, right?"

"Uh, guys?"

"You can't do everything by yourself!"

"You don't know _what_ I can do."

Lincoln finally shouts, "Guys!"

The bickering pair yells back at him. "_What_?!"

A deafening scream suddenly interrupts their conversation, forcing everyone to cover their ears. It lasts for a few moments, and when it stops, everyone turns their heads to see Anna. The cave is now completely caved in, and the Ursa is most likely dead. She turns and quickly walks away, not wanting to find out. She brushes by everyone wordlessly and simply hurries along. Violet's eyes widen, having been thoroughly impressed. She quickly follows behind her, coming up with several semblance-related questions to ask.

Nero glares at Lincoln. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He sighs tiredly. "I don't know, guess I didn't notice…"

"Hm. Come on." The two turn and trail behind the girls.

Violet, having a nice list, starts inquiring. "Anna, that was amazing! That was your semblance in action, right?" Anna nods. "I didn't know you had so much power in your voice! It looks like it's probably useful for stunning opponents, right?" Anna nods again. Violet squeals. "Wow! It makes sense why you don't talk that often. I'm sure your semblance really takes a toll on you, huh?" Anna nods.

Lincoln scratches his head. "Are you okay?" She awkwardly makes a gesture to explain, her hand moving across her neck several times. She hasn't learned sign language yet.

Violet rubs her chin curiously. "Oh. That makes sense. I guess that would hurt your throat, huh?"

Lincoln gasps. "She can't talk anymore?!" Anna sympathetically smiles and motions that isn't the case.

Violet holds up a finger. "I figure if she screams too loud, it makes her unable to talk for a while." Anna puts her hands together and draws them out. Violet adds, "Or for too long, it looks like."

Lincoln pouts. "That's too bad." He looks over at his partner, who's been silent. "Nero! Isn't that cool?" The boy remains stoic and keeps his gaze pointed forward. Violet frowns, coming incredibly close to hurting him, but then she looks ahead of the group.

Her eyes widen as she starts to see something. "Wait, guys, I think we're here!" She rushes forward, everyone behind her, and they stand at the edge of a short cliff, looking down at the relic site. It's made of old stone, with moss beginning to grow over it. There are some columns that sit around a large circular stone platform, on which pedestals await them. The two pairs hurry down, but there are only two relics left.

Violet groans. "We're the last ones here…"

Lincoln cheers. "Look at what's left!" He picks up a small stone tablet with symbols etched into them. "Me and Nero got the queen of shovels!"

Nero shakes his head. "_Spades_, you idiot."

Lincoln gasps excitedly. "He speaks!"

Violet picks up the other tablet. "It looks like we have the king of spades." She squints her eyes. "Wait…he's holding something. It's…" Her eyes widen. "Oh no."

Nero crosses his arms. "What?"

Violet looks at him angrily, showing him her tablet. "He's holding another card in his hands. The _queen_ of spades."

Lincoln cheers. "Does that mean we're a team?!"

Nero growls. "If it means I have to spend the next four years with _her_, then I'd rather throw myself off the cliff."

Another voice suddenly interjects, "Not so fast." Everyone looks over, and Violet can't help but smile.

"Professor Rainart!"

The large man crosses his arms. "It looks like you all took your time getting here."

Lincoln laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you know…_Grimm_."

The teacher stares for a moment before chuckling. "I have a good feeling about you kids. Come on, I'll walk you four back to Beacon Cliff." As the group begins to move, Violet looks over at Nero. He looks angry. She lowers her head, stressing out. _Four years with him…Aunt Siva, what do I do now?_

.

After Hazel walks them back to Beacon Cliff, where this entire mess started, the group sees Glynda and Ozpin waiting on them. They're walked back to Beacon, and the rest of freshman go through initiation. Once it's all over, they meet in the amphitheater, where Ozpin begins announcing teams and leaders. Violet and Anna are standing near the front of the crowd next to the stage, waiting anxiously for their names to be called. Violet has a bad feeling that she's going to get paired with those boys. Even then, who's going to be the leader out of them? _Nero was pretty smart,_ Violet admits to herself. _He had a lot of the qualities needed to be a good leader._

Before she could freak herself out too much, she feels a pair of small and delicate hands grab one of her arms. She looks over to see Anna, looking at her determinedly.

"It'll be okay," she says quietly. Violet barely hears her over Ozpin's voice and the cheering crowd. But she hears it nonetheless.

She smiles. "Do you know that for sure, or are you just trying to make me feel better?" Anna frowns, and Violet turns towards her. "I'm kidding. I'm sure you're right. Besides, at least we're on the same team for sure, right?" After a moment, Anna nods.

Violet starts to tune back in to Ozpin. "Coco Adel, Velvet Scarlatina, Fox Alistair, and Yatsuhashi Daichi." She bites her tongue as she watches Coco and Velvet walk up there. _I bet I know who's leading them,_ she thinks sourly. They all put their hands behind their back and spread their feet apart. One of them looks pretty tall, but considerably shorter than Hazel. His hair is black, and shaved close to his head. He wears green armor and robes, reminiscent of Mistral. The other one has dark skin and orange hair and wears mostly red. She assumes that they're Fox and Yatsuhashi, and can only guess which is which. Ozpin continues, "The four of you retrieved a suit of hearts. From this day forward, you will work together as…Team Coffee. Led by…Coco Adel." The crowd erupts with applause, except for Violet, who rolls her eyes. The students leave the stage in a formal fashion, so now she feels compelled to look even more refined.

Violet watches with awe and excitement as she sees team after team march up onto the stage and leave. And with each team she sees, she prays to whoever is out there to let her lead one. It would be a dream come true…

Finally, she hears her name. "Violet Argyle." She squeals and quickly makes her way onto the stage, trying to look serious. It's hard to contain herself when Ozpin says the other names. "Nero Vanta, Lincoln Forrest, and Anna Bleu." They stand in order of how they were called, but Violet resists the urge to turn to Nero and start something. Ozpin smirks as he senses the tension. "The four of you retrieved a suit of spades. From this day forward, you will work together as…Team Vanilla. Led by…" Violet closes her eyes, waiting. _Please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me…!_ "Violet Argyle." Her eyes snap open as she smiles wide.

Lincoln nearly tackles her, laughing. "Yaaaaaaaay, we get to work together!" He quickly pulls everyone else in, getting Violet and Nero _way_ too close to one another. "We're gonna be like a family!"

Ozpin nods at them. "That's what I like to hear. Now move along, there are still more unassembled teams out there." Violet and Nero break free from Lincoln's grasp, marching angrily off stage. Their other teammates struggle to stay close. Violet and Nero don't end up saying a word to each other for the rest of the ceremony, which makes Anna infinitely more nervous.

Afterwards, the newly formed team travels to the dorms to collect their room key. They walk to their new home, and inside it looks like a pretty simple room. There are four beds on the opposite wall with a large window between the two innermost and a set of short shelves beneath it. There is a desk on the left side of the room supplied with a lamp and some compartments for books. Violet is absolutely thrilled, but only on the inside. On the outside, she was still absolutely fed up with one of her new teammates.

Lincoln laughs nervously. "So! Uh, I guess we unpack now! Right?"

"We can pick beds," Anna insists. Violet goes for the bed all the way on the left while Nero goes to the bed all the way on the right.

Lincoln sighs. "Hoo boy, this is gonna be harder than I thought."

"Yeah," Nero agrees. "It doesn't get much worse than working under a bossy know-it-all preppy."

Violet growls. "Who said you were working _under_ me? We're a team! We do things—!"

"_Together_, I know! It's all sunshine and rainbows with you, isn't it? Let me guess, we'll also make perfect grades under your leadership."

"Well that's the plan!"

Lincoln claps his hands excitedly. "Yay!"

Nero turns to him, "That's not possible, you idiot, I was being sarcastic!"

The boy slouches over in disappointment. "Aw man."

Nero looks at Anna. "And _you_. Why the hell did you wait so long to use your semblance? We could have gotten away from that pack of Beowolves before that Ursa even got there!"

Violet advances on him, pushing him in the shoulder. "She made a tactical decision! She knew we could fight them and wanted to keep in contact with us since we weren't anywhere near the relics yet!" She looks over at the girl. "Right?"

Anna tenses up and looks at the floor. "Um, I mean…"

Nero growls and pushes Violet back. "She doesn't know the first thing about tactics!"

Violet shoves him. "Don't push me!"

"Don't push _me_!" They start to get into a physical exchange, but before either Lincoln or Anna could do something, they hear an intercom go off in their room.

They hear Glynda's voice. "Violet Argyle, please report to my office." Then, silence. Nero huffs and sits down on the bed.

"What'd you do, preppy? Correcting teachers already?"

"I didn't _do_ anything!"

Anna quickly intervenes. "I'm sure it's nothing! You're our leader, after all."

"Yeah!" Lincoln adds. "Maybe it's like a super-secret leader meeting or something!"

Violet sighs. "Thanks. I hope so." With one last vicious glare at Nero, she leaves the room. On the way to Glynda's office, she starts to worry. _There's no way I'm in trouble, right? What could I have done wrong? Maybe it has something to do with initiation. I wasn't sub-par was I? Am I getting kicked out already?! My life is over!_

Violet mopes as she walks up to the door. It's made of a dark brown wood, and has a fancy golden handle polished to perfection. She takes a deep breath, trying to regain her composure before wrapping her hand around the doorknob and opening it. The moment she walks in, she sees Glynda sitting at her desk. And of course, with her luck, _Coco_ is already sitting in one of the open chairs in front of her.

The professor stares indifferently at Violet. "Please, Miss Argyle. Have a seat." Nervously, Violet walks over and sits beside Coco. All along the perimeter of the room, there are bookshelves filled with all sorts of encyclopedias, dictionaries, books on education, Grimm, and probably everything else in existence. Glynda straightens her glasses as she closes her eyes. "Now, it is my understanding that you two have met before."

"We went to Pharos," Coco answers, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms and legs.

"It seems you didn't get along with your…_human_ peers, Miss Argyle."

Violet lowers her head. "No ma'am. I was a mess."

Glynda glances at her. "And things are different now?"

"Completely. I'm not like that anymore!" Coco scoffs, and Violet turns to her. "I'm serious!" She looks back to the teacher. "I saved one of my teammates before we were ever on a team—Anna!"

"That doesn't prove anything," Coco insists. "You're just trying to get everyone to lay off of you so you can start causing trouble again."

"That's not true!"

"_Girls,_" Glynda intervenes. They both quiet down and face her. "I did not call you here to discuss Miss Argyle's past. I wanted to address the rule that you both broke during initiation." Violet's blood runs cold, and Coco's eyebrows go up behind her shades. Glynda nods. "Then you already know what I'm referring to. You made eye contact during initiation, and _deliberately_ went your separate ways." The girls continue to look on in horror. "Violet should be on _your_ team, Miss Adel. Now, one way we can remedy this would be to remove Miss Velvet Scarlatina and put Miss Argyle in her place. Then a new leader would be appointed on her old team, and most likely they would become Team Naval." Violet lowers her head. _Of course he was in second place to be leader,_ she thinks sourly.

Coco lurches forward in protest. "What?! Professor you can't—"

"_On the other hand,_" Glynda interrupts. "You both are natural born leaders. To put you on the same team would obviously cause dysfunction among yourselves. That alone is not enough to keep you two apart, however." Violet swallows nervously. She wants to tear her hair out at just the thought of being on the same team with Coco.

The intimidating young woman tightens her fists. "So what's happening?"

Glynda pauses for a moment, which feels like forever. "Neither of you will be moved to another team." Violet sighs quietly in relief, but her parade is quickly rained on. "But don't think you're getting away that easily. You both still blatantly disregarded the rules set up for your initiation. Professor Ozpin has put me in charge of finding a suitable punishment for you."

Violet gulps. "Which is?"

The ends of Glynda's lip only barely turn up, forming a small and yet _terrifying _smile. "I'll be having you two working together on an extra credit assignment for my class."

She protests, "But I don't need the extra credit!"

"I don't either," Coco mutters.

Glynda leans over and opens one of the drawers in her desk, and she pulls out her tablet. "I would check again. One of the requirements for my class is to work together, and you two seem adamant on performing the opposite."

Violet frowns. "But the handbook says classroom rules don't apply outside of class…"

"This isn't fair!" Coco blurts, somewhat agreeing with her rival.

Glynda puts down her scroll, the work already done. "Professor Ozpin has given me permission to lower your grades for my class. If you would like to pass, then I suggest you participate in this _mandatory_ extra credit assignment." In _complete _and _utter _horror, the two students look at one another. Glynda stands up. "That's all I have for you. I hope to see you on better terms in the future. Have a nice day!" And with that, they're put out of her office, and the doors slam shut behind them. All Violet can think of is a continuous string of _No no no no NO no no…_

"Hey," Coco suddenly says, her eyes forward. "I don't like you, Violet. But I'm not here to fail."

The girl gulps and tries to stand in a strong pose. "I'm not either. So it's a truce?"

"Until we get that assignment out of the way. Then I'm putting my eyes right back on you." With that, Coco marches off. Violet watches her until she vanishes, and then she slouches over tiredly.

"She's going to be the death of me…" Then, she trudges back to her dorm, preparing to be battered by Nero. However, when she opens the door, he's not there. Anna and Lincoln are sitting on their beds and talking. They see her walk in and smile.

Lincoln goes first. "Hey Violet!"

"How did it go?"

The leader gets straight to the point. "Where'd Nero go?"

"Oh, he left after you did. We don't know where he went."

Violet sighs and closes the door behind her, walking over and dropping herself into bed. She groans into her pillow, "I guess I have to go find him…"

Anna, who is on the bed adjacent to her, looks nervous. "What if he doesn't want to be found?"

Violet picks herself up. "Doesn't matter. He's part of the team, and we need him here so we can come up with a plan. We have three days to settle in and put our differences aside." She stands up, looking at the door determinedly. "I'm going to start on that now."

Lincoln frowns. "You're looking for him by yourself?"

"I'll find him. Besides, you two need to settle in. When Nero and I get back, we'll move our stuff in too."

"Oh, okay! Good, 'cause I got _a lot_ of stuff!" There's suddenly a knock on the door, making him squeal and jump to his feet. "Here it is!" He opens the door, and they see a man wearing an Atlas military uniform with two luggage carts filled to the brim. He has dark skin, medium-length black curly hair, golden eyes, and his circular glasses are crooked on his face. He seems exhausted.

"_Wow_ that was a lot harder than I thought."

Lincoln throws his arms around the man. "Dudley!"

The man smiles and pats him on the back. "Hey Lincoln."

Violet's eyes are wide with surprise. "Uh…"

The man sees them and quickly pulls away from Lincoln, clearing his throat and straightening his specs. "Pardon my intrusion. I'm Private First Class Dudley Blackoak. I work in the Atlesian Military, here on official business."

Lincoln turns towards his friends. "Oh! I forgot to mention, I'm from Atlas!"

"Wait, _you_ were the student who showed up in his own airship?"

He sighs. "Yeah. Not because I wanted to."

Dudley grabs his shoulder reassuringly. "We've got our reasons. Here's all your stuff, Link! I'll help you unload it, but then I've got to go."

Lincoln pouts. "I wish you didn't have to leave."

The soldier musses up his hair playfully. "Don't fret too much. You got this! Jade and I are always just a call away." Lincoln laughs, and Violet and Anna can't help but be touched by this sweet moment. They help the two unload the luggage carts, and then Dudley rolls them out of the room.

He waves to Lincoln. "Be good, and study hard!"

"I will!" The boy replies enthusiastically. Dudley nods with approval, and then he finally leaves.

Anna looks around at all of Lincoln's bags of varying green colors. "Wow, Lincoln, I didn't think you would have brought so much."

"Nah, this isn't a lot. I've still got plenty of stuff in my room. This is what we managed to pack before I had to leave."

Violet crosses her arms worriedly. "It sounds like something happened."

Lincoln looks away, his gaze slowly becoming more and more distant the more he thought about it. "Yeah. Something happened."

Anna comes up to him gently, grazing his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He sighs and stands up straight. "Well…we are a team, right? We tell each other stuff?" The girls nod. Lincoln closes his eyes. "Right. Um, I'm gonna…sit down for this one." Lincoln goes over to his bed, and the girls sit across from him on Anna's. He takes a deep breath before explaining. "Okay, so…I guess first I should tell you that Atlas wasn't always called Atlas. It used to be called Mantle, and that's where I lived. It's a city at the top of a really steep cliff, so we were pretty safe from the Grimm. It was too cold for them where we were, but it was also too cold for us. We have heaters that keep the cold out of the city, and it shields us from the snow."

He chuckles and scratches the back of his head. "Uh, sorry. Getting off track. My family lived in Mantle for a little while, and my sister went to Atlas to work in the military. Meanwhile, I was going to Stellar Academy trying to live up to her expectations. All of my teachers knew me because they were super proud of my sister." He laughs nervously. "Too bad I wasn't nearly as good as she was."

Anna murmurs, "It sounds like you've been compared to your sister for a long time."

"Yeah, but that's okay. I know she's a super awesome fighter! She just takes it a lot more seriously than I do. She wanted to be a Huntress so she could be part of the military. I just wanted to be like her. Anyway, my sister eventually graduated, and she did so good in school that the headmaster gave her a really high rank!"

"What is it?" Violet asks.

Lincoln scratches his head. "Uh…Hm." He mutters the word he uses to remember, "SAMSOU…Oh I know! She's a Specialist, but her official title is 'Specialist in the Atlesian Military's Special Operatives Unit.' She would've been first if Winter Schnee hadn't beaten her." Violet lowers her head at that. _It looks like I'm not the only one who always comes second._

Anna raises her hand. "Who is she?"

"Oh, you don't know the Schnee family?"

She shrugs from embarrassment. "I guess I don't."

Lincoln smiles cheerfully. "It's okay! The Schnee family is pretty much the most important family in Atlas, because they own the Schnee Dust Company. They pretty much control all of the Dust trade in Remnant! They've got a lot of drama going on though. Weiss Schnee is currently the heiress of the company." He sighs as his cheeks start to pink. "My parents tried really hard to get me to talk to her, not that I ever saw her." He shakes his head. "Anyway, after Jade graduated from Atlas, our family got moved up into the floating city of Atlas. My dad got a job working on the Board of Legal Affairs, so we pretty much were part of the elite class at that point."

Anna tilts her head. "What was that like?"

Lincoln shrugs. "It had its ups and downs." He lowers his head. "Mostly downs. We got a lot of threats from the White Fang. I guess they blamed my dad for the crappy wages."

Violet, uncomfortable, tries to change the subject. "So why aren't you in Atlas right now?"

Lincoln closes his eyes. "Right before school started, they…" He takes a deep breath. "I heard that my parents were on their way home from Weiss Schnee's Recital when it happened. My dad was shot, and the car veered off of the road into a light pole. My mom wasn't wearing a seatbelt, so she was thrown out of the front windshield. They died." He covers half of his face with his hand as he adds, "Jade was worried that we were in danger. She asked General Ironwood if she could escort me to Vale, but he only granted half of her request. Instead, her friend Dudley came to Vale with me. Jade had to stay because other people were getting targeted too. So yeah, we stayed in Vale for a few weeks before Dudley took us to Beacon." He smiles tiredly. "On the bright side, since I was already accepted to Atlas, Beacon accepted me too."

Violet grips the edge of the bed tightly as she stares gravely at the floor. "What about their funeral?"

"I couldn't be there. I had to watch through a scroll in Jade's hands." All the girls could do was look at one another nervously. It surprises them when Lincoln suddenly smiles at them again. "But it's all behind me now. I'm gonna make this my year at school!"

Anna places a hand over her chest. "Lincoln, you just lost your parents. Why didn't you just take a year off of school?"

"I couldn't. My parents wanted me to get just as good as Jade, so I'm gonna do that."

Violet puts her hands on her hips. "You can't keep trying to live up to your sister's legacy. You know we're going to have to sit down and have a talk about this."

He beams. "Well I can't do anything about it now."

Anna looks at him softly. "Are you okay?"

Lincoln nods. "Mhm."

Violet starts heading for the door. "I'm going to find Nero. You two get your stuff unpacked." She glances back at all of Lincoln's luggage. "You might want to work together on that." Then, without another word, she leaves.

Lincoln looks at Anna and laughs nervously. "Uh…so what did you bring?"

Anna taps her fingertips together in embarrassment. "Um…that." She points to a little blue suitcase on her bed, about the size of a pillowcase.

Lincoln sighs. "Whoops."

.

Violet scours the campus in search of her lost teammate. While she looks around, she starts developing the conversation in her mind. She was going to bring up these points, elaborate, and then change his mind and convince him that he was being rude—easy peasy! _Now if I were Nero,_ she wonders. _Where would I be? I would want to let off some steam for sure. Maybe he's in one of the practice rooms! There's plenty to punch in there._ And so, she makes her way over to the Combat Hall, a building all on its own dedicated to bettering one's fighting skills. Beacon has an arena-styled classroom within it, but for more private matches, this is where the students go. She checks room after room, until she finally finds Nero just as he stabs his punching bag _several_ times with his stiletto blade.

Violet gulps. "Nero?"

He glares at her. "You've got a lot of nerve coming in here." She takes a deep breath before stepping in and shutting the door.

She starts approaching him. "Nero, I just wanted to tell you that—"

"Shut it, I don't care about your three-point plan to make me apologize."

Violet mutters, "It's _six_ points…!"

He scoffs. "You're hopeless. Ozpin should have never made you the leader."

"How _dare_ you! Professor Ozpin has been successfully running this academy since—!"

"You always turn to the facts, Violet. I don't think you have any _real_ experience." He starts advancing towards her menacingly, causing her to walk backwards in a circle around the center of the room. "You hide behind tactics, pre-made plans, romantic ideals. Do you know what it's like to have to rely on your instincts? Come up with decisions on the spot? Have you ever even _lived_ in the real world, Violet, or have you been in your stupid little fantasy this whole time?" Violet suddenly stops in her tracks, causing Nero to halt as well. She starts to stare him down, a furious glint in her eyes.

"You don't know the _first_ thing about me."

"Maybe I don't. But it's time you get into a _real_ fight." He gets into a fighting stance, holding up his fists near his face. "If you beat me, then I'll be convinced you have what it takes."

Violet, taken up by her pride, puts her hands on her pistols. "If this is how I get you to listen to me, then fine. Just remember that you asked for it." The two students brace themselves, each with something monumental to prove. This is more than a fight over leadership; this is a battle over pride and might. It's a meeting between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Since that's the case, who wins?

* * *

_Co-Authored and Edited by USB-Meister_


	5. Chapter 4: The Immovable Object

It's dark outside when Lincoln and Anna finish up. With one last look around, Lincoln sighs and falls into bed. "Okay, we did it!" He throws his arms up, but with little enthusiasm. "Yay…" Anna looks at their handiwork and giggles.

"It looks like you take up most of the room, Lincoln."

He crosses his arms indignantly. "Well it's not my fault nobody brought anything!" He looks over at Anna's unpacked things, which consisted of a few books, bathroom supplies, and mostly clothes. There was almost no trace of her in the room.

He looks at her unhappily. "How come you didn't bring anything from home?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, look!" He grabs a snowglobe off of a shelf and shakes it, showing a cute depiction of a winter wonderland in Atlas. "Stuff like this!"

"Well, it doesn't really snow in Vacuo."

"Then what about a sand-globe? Board games? Pictures?"

She looks away sadly. "I had to leave home in a hurry too, Lincoln. I just didn't have anyone to help me pack like you did."

"What about your parents?"

She closes her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Aw come on, I told you and Violet about me! It can't be that bad."

She looks at him angrily. "I said I don't want to talk about it!" She turns around and goes to sit on her bed, her back facing him. Lincoln shrinks, being taken aback by her outburst. After a moment, she sighs. "I'm sorry. I'm not like you, Lincoln, I can't just carry on." The girl hugs herself for comfort, and gently Lincoln walks over.

"I'm sorry, Anna."

"It's okay."

"…So did you lose your parents too?"

She scoffs. "Not the way you think I did."

"Huh?"

"I already told you that I'm not talking about it."

"Okay…I'm here if you ever feel like it though."

She smiles at him. "Thanks Lincoln."

He beams. "No problem!" He puts his hands on his hips and looks around. "Now if only Violet and Nero would come back…"

"I hope they're okay."

Lincoln waves his hand dismissively. "I'm sure they're fine! I mean, what are they gonna do, kill each other?" The color quickly drains from both their faces. "Uh…maybe we should go find them."

"Yeah." The students quickly get onto their feet and hurry out of the dorm. Hopefully they won't be too late.

.

Nero grunts as Violet kicks him in the chest. He stumbles back, but manages to stay on his feet. He glares at her as he recuperates, but she doesn't look afraid.

"I don't need tactics to beat you, Nero. You're just that predictable."

He grits his teeth. "We'll see about that!" He rushes forward, firing at her with his gauntlets. She darts to her right, trying to outrun his aim, until he's finally upon her. Violet uses her semblance and summons two arms to grab hold of his arms. Once again, she kicks him in his chest, sending him backwards. He recovers much faster this time and runs right into her, pushing her down. However, she goes ahead and summons two more arms, and the four help push her back into the air so she lands back on her feet. She turns her revolvers into swords mid-movement and clashes with Nero's stiletto blades. He pushes back with a lot more force than she can.

"You don't have what it takes," He hisses.

Violet grits her teeth. "I'm not giving up!" She has two of her extra arms help push on her blades, which is enough to overpower Nero and push him back into a retreat. She pants, having to dismiss her semblance.

Nero stands up straight, barely winded. "I noticed something about your semblance during initiation. It really takes a toll on you, doesn't it?"

"And why would I tell you that?"

"You don't have to. I already know the answer." He darts forward again, and Violet doesn't have enough time to react—but her mind does. She activates her semblance again, and two arms pop out to protect her from Nero's lunge. However, his blow is enough to send her flying backwards, even more exhausted. As she soars through the air, her guns fly out of her hands. She hits the ground hard, and her scroll falls out of her pocket. She flips onto her stomach painfully, trying to get a look at how her aura's doing. Unfortunately, her meter has hit zero—Nero's managed to wipe her out. The boy towers over her, kicking her onto her backside. He aims one of Violet's revolvers at her, narrowing his eyes.

She rests one hand across her stomach while the other reaches out. "Wait, Nero…it's over. I don't have any aura left."

He continues to stare without changing the gun's aim. "Are you afraid, Violet?"

Her eyes widen. "What?"

"Your opponent has your own gun aimed right at your head. You're out of aura. What's your plan now?"

Violet looks at him worriedly. "Nero it's over, you already beat me."

"Not out there I haven't. The rules don't mean anything outside of this school, and that's the only thing saving you in this situation." He pulls back on the hammer. "Come on, leader. Save yourself."

"Nero stop, this isn't funny."

He suddenly explodes, "And this isn't a game either, Violet! Face it, you're nothing outside of these walls! Do you think the world's going to wait on you to make a plan before saving it?!"

The door to the training room suddenly flies open, and Lincoln and Anna bust into the room.

Lincoln shouts, "Nero stop!" Then, there's a gunshot. Everyone freezes in place, absolutely terrified. Nero's arm is up in the air, the pistol aimed at the ceiling. He scoffs at Violet and tosses her gun next to her, while she continues to watch him in horror. Wordlessly, he puts his hands in his pockets and leaves, brushing past his other two shocked teammates. Shakily, she looks down at her weapon beside her. His words echo through her mind as she slowly wraps her fingers around the handle, easing onto her feet and holstering it at her hip. Silently, she walks over and collects the other one, before finally turning to Lincoln and Anna.

He gulps before asking, "Violet? What happened?" After a few moments, Violet walks over and starts explaining everything from the beginning.

.

Meanwhile, Nero is on his way to the dorm so he can get ready for bed. On his way, however, he meets Ozpin.

"Ah, Mr. Vanta!" He greets. "What a pleasant surprise. I was just looking for you."

Nero furrows his eyebrows. "What? Why?"

"To congratulate you, of course." Ozpin smiles. "Why don't you come with me?" He starts to walk off, and the student follows begrudgingly. They head into Glynda's office, where she's waiting. The headmaster gestures to a seat. "Stay a while, Mr. Vanta. We have much to discuss." Nero plops down into a seat and crosses his arms.

Ozpin leans against the desk, facing him. "Glynda had your sparring match pulled up on her tablet. You did quite well against your opponent."

Nero scoffs. "What, my supposed 'team leader'? She's a joke."

"As we've noticed. Clearly, you're superior to your classmate in every possible way. Therefore, I've had Glynda make some new arrangements for you." Glynda types away on her tablet before handing it to Ozpin, who shows the student. Nero simply stares without emoting. Ozpin smiles. "Yes, Mr. Vanta. This is Team Nylon, with you as its leader. We'll have a replacement for your old team within the week. Congratulations."

Nero arches an eyebrow, annoyed. "Is this supposed to make me feel guilty or something?"

Ozpin shrugs. "That depends. Is it working?"

Nero rolls his eyes. "I don't care about being the leader. I just don't want her leading me."

"Tell me how you really feel."

"I just did," the boy hisses.

"Are you sure? I have a feeling you're hiding something, Mr. Vanta. Could it be that you aren't a team player?"

"I can work on a team."

"Then why is it under Miss Argyle's leadership that you seem to be struggling?" Ozpin chuckles. "Unless that is, you happen to be afraid of something."

"I don't get scared," Nero growls.

"Oh, but you do, my boy." Ozpin leans forward, looking him right in the eyes. "You may think that you can bury your past and your feelings with a few cold remarks, but I know better. I am very familiar with that look in your eyes. You're a young man who thinks you have nothing to give and yet everything to lose." Nero continues to stare back at him, seemingly unfazed. Ozpin chuckles and relaxes. "I was once much like you. I wasn't the leader of my team either when I was in school. I did everything I could to distance myself from them, to become autonomous so I would stand out amidst my peers and perhaps one day make something of myself."

Nero glances around at the office. "Well, it looks like you did fine."

"But not alone. Do you know who was the leader of my team?" Ozpin steps aside and gestures to Glynda. "Glynda Eleanor Goodwitch, an aspiring young Huntress who, although wasn't the strongest, was the most sound of mind out of everyone on our team. She, unlike myself, knew how to manage others. All I cared about was proving myself to everyone. Does any of this ring a bell, Mr. Vanta?" The boy crosses his arms, saying nothing. Ozpin shrugs. "That's alright, I think I already know. I hope I've gotten through to you, young man."

"Yessir."

"Good. Oh and by the way you'll be serving detention with Glynda after your first day of classes. You did threaten your team leader, after all."

Nero grumbles, "I understand…"

The headmaster nods. "Now hurry along back to your dorm. Glynda will be watching your team closely until she sees improvement among you. And don't worry, your team isn't anything special—there are several other teams who are also having some issues coming together." Nero, without another word, gets up and leaves. Ozpin sighs. "Was I like that in school?"

Glynda smiles. "Only when your reputation was at stake. So yes, every day sir."

He chuckles. "Thank you, Glynda."

"Anytime, professor." Ozpin knocks on the desk before standing on his own two feet and exiting as well, leaving Glynda to finish up her work for the night. He has his own matters to address, in the meantime—it concerns the safety of the entire school body.

.

Violet, Lincoln, and Anna are all gathered in the dorm room. Violet has just finished explaining everything to them, and her teammates can't help but be startled.

Lincoln lowers his head. "So what do we do? I don't want you guys to be fighting all the time."

Anna shakes her head. "Me neither." Violet, instead of responding, stares at the floor. She's deep in thought, contemplating everything that's happened since arriving at Beacon. Her teammates look at one another worriedly, but then the door to their room opens. They look to see Nero, looking as stoic as ever.

Lincoln stands up. "Nero…"

The young man walks in. "I know." He goes over to Violet, standing in front of her. Anna and Lincoln are tense, but they don't interfere. Nero looks down at his leader, who still hasn't picked her head up.

With a deep sigh, he says, "I'm sorry for crossing the line, Violet. But I won't take back what I said. You're not ready to get in a real fight."

Violet slowly picks her head up, a determined look on her face. "…Then I'll get better." She stands up without an ounce of fear in her body, far from where she was during their last meeting. "If I'm not where I need to be, then I'll get better. With or without your help."

Nero stares for a few moments before crossing his arms. "I guess you're a leader after all."

Lincoln jumps up and down in excitement. "Does that mean you're friends now?!"

Violet smiles at him. "Close enough." The boy cheers and throws his arms into the air, making Anna giggle.

Violet looks back at Nero, holding her hand out to him. "We've all got a long way to go, Nero."

He grabs her forearm, and they shake. "Yeah. But we'll do a lot better under your leadership than mine."

She lowers her head. "I'm…actually surprised that you aren't the leader, Nero." They release each other's arms.

He huffs. "Trust me, Ozpin made the right decision." Violet's eyes sparkle, before she quickly regains her composure by clearing her throat.

"Thanks—thank you."

"Just don't disappoint us, got it?"

Violet takes a deep breath. "I won't."

Finally, with all of the initial drama out of the way, the team gets ready for bed. Lincoln pulls his partner aside and explains his background to him, just so he's up-to-speed, but like Anna, Nero doesn't want to share anything either.

Lincoln looks to Violet hopefully. "Violet? You're our leader. You'll tell us about you, right?"

Her eyes scan each of their faces before she hesitantly gets into bed. "Not tonight. We'll talk some other time, okay?" Lincoln frowns, and Anna pats him reassuringly on the back. Then, all four students crawl into bed and go to sleep.

.

Over the next few days, the team settles in. Lincoln still has the highest luggage count, with Violet in second place, and surprisingly enough, Anna and Nero tied for last. They both brought the absolute minimum with them to Beacon, although neither would disclose why. It drove Lincoln absolutely mad.

On the morning of their first day of school, Violet's alarm on her scroll goes off. She turns it off quickly, before sitting up and stretching. She glances over at her other teammates, but they're all still asleep. She sighs and then starts getting ready for the day. The girls' Beacon uniform consists of a red plaid skirt with white ruffles, a formal white shirt, a dark brown vest, a black formal jacket with gold trims, and a small red string in place of a tie. Violet's also wearing black stockings and dark brown leather school shoes, and of course, her beanie on top, which has been on her head since last night. The boy's uniform is the same, except they wear black pants, a blue vest, and a red tie.

To Violet's amazement, after all of that preparation, her teammates are still asleep. She looks at the time and notices that class starts in twenty minutes. She shakes her head in disappointment, thinking to herself, I hope they wake up soon. Otherwise they'll be late. Quietly, Violet leaves the room, heading to class. According to her schedule, their first class is History at 9:05. She walks to the listed classroom, and after laying out her three-ring binder, four pens, white-out, back-up pencil, and her scroll to record the lecture, waits patiently for class to begin.

Students start filing in eventually, but none of them are her teammates. She keeps glancing at the time, and as the beginning of class creeps closer and closer, she starts to wonder if any of them had even set an alarm. What has her even more concerned is that the teacher isn't here either. But then, right as the clock changes from 9:04 to 9:05, a blur zips into the room and stops abruptly behind the desk. Violet's eyes widen as she realizes that he's the professor. He has wild green hair, large round glasses, a white button-up shirt with only half it tucked in, a yellow tie, formal black pants, and leather brown shoes. He has some sort of black band around his right arm, and his tie isn't as tight as it should be. Violet can't help but question if that falls into dress code.

"Good morning students!" He greets, speaking rather quickly. "My name is Professor Oobleck, and I will be teaching you the wonders of history and how it applies to you as a future Huntsman or Huntress!" His dark blue eyes suddenly land on Violet and the three empty seats next to her. He zips over in front of her, leaning over the desk to be right up in her face. Instinctively, Violet bends back to put some distance between them. "Young lady! Where are your teammates?"

She blinks unwittingly. "Am I responsible for them?"

"That's what being a leader means…so yes!"

All of a sudden, from the doorway, the very students barge in, all incredibly exhausted. Their uniforms are in various states of untidiness, but they obviously didn't have a lot of time to get ready.

Oobleck stands up straight. "Ah! You must be the rest! Come in and sit, class is already behind by sixty seconds!" He zips back to the front of the room, and Violet's disgruntled teammates all have their seat next to her. Before Anna or Lincoln can separate them, Nero takes his seat right next to her, which causes Lincoln to sit next to him since Anna is deathly afraid of him, leaving her on the end.

Nero whispers angrily at Violet, "Thanks for waking us up, leader."

"I thought you could take care of yourselves!"

"I asked you if you had an alarm set, you had the alarm!"

"It's not my fault none of you did the same."

Oobleck suddenly cuts into the conversation. "Team Vanilla!" Instinctively, Violet turns towards him and raises her hand. The professor nods. "Then you must be Miss Argyle! And your teammates are here as well—excellent!" He marks them as present on his roll sheet and then starts class.

Anna glances over at Nero and Violet nervously, murmuring to Lincoln, "I hope every class isn't going to be like this…"

Lincoln shrugs. "Well, it could be worse. They're not trying to kill each other!"

Anna puts her head down. "Please stop saying that…"

Lincoln laughs quietly. "Whoops."

The rest of class carries on, and they end right on time. Oobleck dismisses them, although calls on Violet to have a short word with her.

"Miss Argyle is this going to be a problem?"

She shakes her head profusely. "No sir! I'll do better in the future, I promise!"

"Let's hope you are correct! You have a very important role in your team, young lady."

She takes a deep breath. "I understand."

"I know you do—now carry on!" He zips over to the chalkboard at the front of the room to erase everything, and Violet exits the classroom. The four continue on with their day, and they attend three more classes that day. They were Grimm Studies, Combat Practice, and to end the day, Intro to Botany and Herbology.

As they walk out of their last class, Nero grumbles, "If I wasn't going to detention, I would beat the crap out of you, Violet…"

The girl throws her arms into the air angrily. "What did I do?!"

"You left us behind, that's what you did!"

Lincoln pouts. "You have detention?"

Nero sticks his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. For beating the crap out of Violet." Then, he starts to walk off. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Lincoln looks at the girls. "Well! Looks like it's just us!"

Violet rubs the back of her head. "Actually, I have to go too."

"Whaaaaaaaat?!"

Anna tilts her head. "Where are you going? You don't have detention too, do you?"

"No, but I do have a part-time job after school."

Lincoln furrows his eyebrows. "You work after school? But isn't school enough work already?"

"Sorry guys, it's just how I am. I'll be back before dinner!" And with that, she hurries off.

Lincoln sighs and looks to Anna with large puppy-like eyes. "You aren't leaving too, are you?"

She smiles. "No, I'm staying." He cheers enthusiastically as he grabs her and starts running off. She laughs, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know, but I'm super excited!"

Anna giggles. At least he's enthusiastic.

.

Violet drops off her school supplies in the dorm before hurrying off-campus and into the city. She catches the soonest airbus she can, and shortly afterwards she finds herself back in the Commercial District. She travels deeper in, until she arrives at a particular shop: Tukson's Booktrade. With a wide smile on her face, she walks in, and the owner Tukson is wiping off the counter with a rag. The walls are dark green and lined with bookshelves, while there are stands along the floor holding even more stories. There's a backroom behind the counter, where Violet usually works.

Tukson sees her walk in and throws the rag over his shoulder, holding his arms out for a hug. "Violet!"

She meets him happily in an embrace, holding him tightly. "Hey Tukson."

They pull apart and he pats her on the head. "How's it going? How's school?"

"You won't believe it! I'm the leader of my own team!"

He laughs happily. "That's great! I bet your Aunt's proud."

Violet scratches the back of her head. "Actually, I haven't told her yet."

He looks at her in surprise. "Well why not?"

She lowers her head. "One of my teammates doesn't like me very much…I didn't think being a leader would be so hard."

"Well, what did you think it was going to be like?"

"I don't know! I just thought they'd listen to me."

He chuckles. "People aren't machines, Violet. They've all got their own agendas too." He nudges her playfully. "Hey, if any of them give you a hard time, just call me."

She smiles. "Thanks Tukson."

"I should be thanking you! You're still willing to help out here even when I know you've got plenty of schoolwork to be doing."

"It's not that much."

"If you say so." He pats her on the shoulder and goes back behind the counter. "Now then, are you ready to start?"

She grins excitedly. "Am I!" Tukson smiles and gives her a list of things to do. Violet works without question, and finishes each task speedily and with much care. By the end of the day, all of the books are sorted alphabetically, including the extras in the backroom, there isn't a speck of dust in the entire store, and the register is organized too. She's done twice the amount than what Tukson had originally told her to do, but she finished his list early—what else was she going to do, leave?

It's around 6 o'clock when she finishes, and by the end of it she's pretty tired.

Tukson grabs her by the shoulder. "You did great work today, Violet."

She smiles. "I always do."

"You know what else you always do?" He suddenly looks at her sternly. "Overwork yourself." She groans, but he continues, "I'm serious, Violet. Your Aunt told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't work yourself to death! You've been keeping busy for over three hours!"

She waves her hand dismissively. "That's fine."

"Not when you come in as many days as you do. Now you've got to make a decision, Violet, you can either work every day for an hour or two or stick with three days a week and work a maximum of four hours like you used to do. You know the rules."

She sighs. "Okay…"

He crosses his arms. "So? What's it gonna be?"

"Um…" Her gaze drifts towards the ground, trying to think straight. Tukson's stare softens, and then he sighs.

"You don't have to have an answer right now. If you come in tomorrow, I'm only letting you work an hour, alright? And if you don't, then we'll go with Plan B. Okay?"

Violet nods. "Alright…"

"Good. Now go back to school, do your homework, and get some rest."

"Okay Tukson."

"Hey, do you want me to tell your Aunt your news?"

She shrugs. "Sure. I don't know when I'll be able to do it."

He smiles. "Great. We'll talk over dinner tonight!"

Violet giggles. "You have another date planned?"

"Well sure! We're celebrating your first full day of classes!"

She looks at him knowingly. "Alright, whatever you say, Tukson." She turns and walks out, waving to him. "I'll see you later."

"Remember what we talked about!" He calls after her. After she's gone, he sighs. "What a kid."

.

Violet finally gets back to Beacon and walks into her dorm. Her other teammates are finishing up their homework as they look at her.

Lincoln cheers. "Violet!"

Anna's worried. "Hey, are you okay?"

Violet rubs one of her eyes tiredly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just worked myself a little too hard."

Nero scoffs, closing his book. "I wish Lincoln knew what that was like."

"Hey!" While the boy complains, Violet hobbles over to her bed and gets out her homework, ready to start on it.

Anna gains the courage to speak up. "Do you want help with that?"

"No, I can do it. Thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Nero walks over and peers at what she's done so far before immediately pointing to her first answer. "That's wrong."

She squints her eyes. "What? No it's not, that's…" She pauses. "Oh. You're right. That's supposed to say blue…"

"You know the yellow version of that plant kills you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"So what if you try eating the yellow one because you're tired?"

She growls, "I get it, Nero…"

"Do you? Because you're still treating this like a game."

Lincoln cuts in, "Guys please not now! You just made up!" The pair stare at one another for a moment before Nero breaks eye contact, collecting his dark grey bag and leaving for the bathroom. Lincoln grabs his and follows after him, leaving the girls with the bedroom.

Anna goes over to her bag and starts pulling out her pajamas. "Are you sure you're okay, Violet?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine…" She mutters. She collects her pajamas as well and then goes back to her bed, beginning to get undressed. Anna stays near her bag and keeps her back towards Violet as she changes too. The shy girl wants to say more, but she just can't bring herself to make the sounds. To try and counter her anxiety, she takes a few deep breaths and finishes up changing. Anna's now wearing a pastel blue tank top and black pants. She hears Violet zipping up her bookbag, so she guesses she's done too and turns around without looking too suspicious. Like she wouldn't have cared either way.

Violet yawns. Tonight, she's wearing a white graphic t-shirt and pink shorts—and her beanie, of course. So far, no one's asked about it. There's a knock at the door, and Anna lets Lincoln and Nero in. Lincoln's wearing a blue muscle shirt and gym shorts, while Nero's wearing a black t-shirt with some sort of metal band on it and baggy black pants.

He's the one who finally asks, "Why the heck do you sleep with a beanie on all the time?"

Violet, anticipating this question, shrugs. "Hair stuff."

Lincoln looks to Anna. "Is that true?"

The shy girl turns red and looks away. "I mean, I don't know…! My hair's really short."

Nero crosses his arms. "Fine. I don't even care." He walks over to his bed and lays down, his back facing everyone. Violet sighs as the rest of them get into bed.

She mutters, "If you don't care why did you ask…?" She continues working quietly, under the lamp that she brought from her Aunt's house. It clamps onto the bed frame, and is super adjustable—one of the best things she owns, she believes. After finally finishing her homework, she turns her light off and almost immediately falls asleep. She didn't even notice Lincoln, who's been trying to fall back asleep for the past hour.

.

The next day, in their combat class, Nero is the first to volunteer. Glynda nods and pulls up his aura meter, displaying it onto a large blank banner on the far side of the room.

She looks back at him. "Who's your opponent?"

Nero looks right at his leader. "Violet." The girl smirks as she gets up and heads down into the arena, as Glynda brings up her aura meter as well. Nero gets into a fighting stance. "I still haven't gotten you back for not waking us up yesterday."

Violet does a quick stretch. "Then let's settle it, shall we?" She braces herself, determined to do better this time.

Glynda raises her arm in the air. "Ready…set…" She brings it down. "Go." The fight begins—to Lincoln's and Anna's relief, it isn't a fight about who's better. It isn't about a petty rivalry either. This is a match between friends—finally they're friends. Hopefully, things will continue to go this smoothly for the rest of the year…

.

Meanwhile, there's trouble brewing. Across the ocean from Vale is another continent called Mistral. There, bad things are starting to happen. In the underbelly of the city, where the worst scum of Remnant gather, there's a meeting happening between three important individuals. They call themselves the New Remnant Triumvirate. They are currently the most dangerous trio in the entire world—not that anyone knows that yet.

Currently, two of them are sitting in a dark room around a table, with only a candle for light. They're both women. One of them is wearing a black sleeveless robe, a crimson scarf around her shoulders, and a ceremonial crimson rope around her waist. Her hair is short and black and she has fierce yellow eyes. Her complexion is dark, and she has darker animal-like stripes on her arms. What stands out most about her are the orange tiger ears on top of her head. The left one is pierced with a golden earring, as are her two human ears inherited from a past family member. There's an oval-shaped crimson jewel on her forehead.

She's sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed, impatient. The other woman is sitting prim and proper, her legs crossed and her hands in her lap, a smug grin on her face. She has long black hair, pulled over her left shoulder. Her eyes are amber-colored, constantly burning with some sort of intensity. She's wearing a short crimson dress with gold accents. There's an extravagant navy blue feather piece on her right hip, where her dress is its shortest. Her shoulders aren't covered, and at the bottom of her dress there's black lace. To finish it off, she's wearing black heels that tinkle like glass with each step she takes.

The faunus woman growls. "Where is he?"

"Patience, Sienna. He says he's got quite the treat for us."

The faunus stands up and leans over the table, glaring at her. "I have a whole organization to maintain, I don't have time for trivial games!" She hits her fists on the table.

The other woman waves her hand dismissively. "You worry too much, Sienna. I hear the White Fang is doing rather well; the best since its creation, actually."

"Even so, I have to work to maintain that status."

A third voice cuts in—a man's. "There's no need to concern yourself with losing supporters, Ms. Khan." The women turn their heads and look to see the third member of their group. He has tan skin, very short black hair that's graying on the sides, and a wicked-looking mustache. He's wearing a formal untucked yellow shirt, a purple vest, and a gray trench coat. He's also wearing purple fingerless gloves, and he has rings on his fingers. His tie is black, and a little loose, and his eyes are green. Still, he exudes refinement and formality, albeit he's still a slightly condescending man.

He looks to the other woman. "You're looking well, Cinder dear."

Her smug look finally goes away, promptly annoyed by his presence. "What did you want to show us, Watts?"

"Doctor," He corrects, holding his arms behind his back. "But first, I would like to hear from the both of you." He looks to Sienna. "Well?"

"The White Fang has total control over Mistral." She looks at Cinder angrily. "Like I said before, the headmaster is much more useful to us alive." Turning back to Watts, she adds, "His seat in the Council is ours. He'll say whatever we need him to."

Watts nods. "Excellent. And you, Cinder?"

"I have Roman Torchwick keeping the people of Vale on edge with his Dust robberies." She glances over at Sienna. "The White Fang will have a nice supply once he's done. Not to mention they'll be too worried about themselves to even notice the lion acting strange." She smiles mockingly. "He isn't as reliable as Sienna makes him out to be." The faunus growls, but Watts quiets her down.

He looks at both of them. "It sounds like everything's going according to plan, then."

Sienna crosses her arms as she finally sits back down. "That depends on what you've been up to, while we've been carrying this plan on our backs."

Watts chuckles. "Believe me, I am the backbone of this operation." He lays down his scroll, and a large rectangular hologram pops up. They see some sort of political poll, and so far it looks like there's a clear winner. "I'm securing us another seat on the council as we speak. I have an old colleague of mine running in the election in my stead. His name is on the ticket, he will be attending the public events, and make the necessary speeches. I, however, will be dictating his every action. I tell him what to say, and he says it." He picks up his scroll, dismissing the hologram.

Cinder smirks. "Maybe you aren't so useless after all, Arthur."

Sienna huffs angrily. "You can still do more."

Watts gestures to the doorway. "I actually have one more thing to show you." He holds up one of his hands as the rings on his fingers start to glow. He makes a gesture as if he's beckoning something to him, and the women start to hear rabid growling. A cage starts to roll in, with a sheet thrown over it to hide whatever is inside. The thing is thrashing about wildly, obviously intent on getting out.

Watts places a hand on top of the small cell. "This is a pet project of mine. I spoke to you both previously about needing assets, and I have provided in the form of artillery." He grips onto the sheet. "I present to you both the result of fifteen years of work." He pulls the sheet off, and while Sienna looks horrified, Cinder starts to have a wide grin on her face.

Sienna gets to her feet, taking a step back. "What…is that?"

Watts smirks. "I call this…the Maiden Project."


	6. Chapter 5: Beauty and the Beast

_Hey everyone! Just a quick apology: We were running behind, but we're getting back on track! This chapter is shorter, so I hope you're alright with a light read. I also hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day, because I know Violet sure didn't!_

* * *

It's a lovely Saturday morning. Team VNLA's first full week at Beacon went by rather well—Violet and Nero haven't argued with each other for twelve whole hours! Anna's still been rather quiet, and Lincoln…Well, he's still Lincoln. It seems like they just might make it through their freshman year without any trouble!

Oh, but the law catches up with Violet.

The team is on their way to the Combat Hall when a particular teacher suddenly cuts them off. Glynda Goodwitch.

Lincoln waves. "Hi professor!"

"Hello Mr. Forrest." Her eyes go straight to Violet. "Miss Argyle, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

The girl starts to sweat. "Uh…" Her shoulders drop as she looks at the ground, beginning to pass her weapons off to Anna. "No ma'am."

"Bring your weapons, Miss Argyle. You just might need them for our activity."

Uneasily, Violet turns back to Anna, taking her pistols back. She holsters them at either hip, looking back at her professor.

The woman nods with approval. "Good. Come with me, please." Glynda walks off, and Violet follows.

Lincoln scratches his head. "Where are they going?"

Nero glances at him. "Don't you remember? Violet broke the rules during initiation. Now Professor Goodwitch has her and Coco doing some boring chore."

"Aw man. Well I hope she gets back soon."

Anna looks off in the direction her partner had walked. Quietly, she murmurs her name in hopes that Coco doesn't get the best of her.

.

Violet walks behind Glynda silently. However, that doesn't stop her from fuming about Coco in her head. It's all her fault, she tells herself. She made first contact with me! She made me break the rule!

She continues to be angry, until they end up in the dorms. Glynda takes a very specific route, until they finally stop in front of a door. She knocks, and a few moments later a dark-skinned young man opens the door. Violet recognizes him from the freshman ceremony, and assumes that he is Fox. He has burnt orange hair, and his eyes are white. He also has a scar on the right side of his mouth, and on his arms. His lack of reaction convinces Violet that he's totally blind.

"Who is it?" He asks.

"Professor Goodwitch," Glynda replies. "Is your leader here?"

"Oh, hey professor! Coco's right over here." He opens the door wider, and Violet can see the girl trying to decide between two hats that look exactly the same. Then, however, Coco looks over at the doorway, immediately locking eyes with Violet.

She groans. "Oh great."

Glynda crosses her arms. "I hope you're ready for your chore, Miss Adel."

The girl grumbles, "Yes ma'am…" She picks a beret and tosses the other one onto her bed.

She's about to leave the room when Glynda points out, "Bring your handbag, Miss Adel." The girl furrows her eyebrows, before noticing Violet has her weapons too. She pauses for a moment before turning back around and equipping herself with her satchel, finally brushing past Fox.

He snickers. "Don't worry Coco, you're setting a great example for the rest of us."

"Shut up."

Glynda starts to walk off. "Come along, girls." Violet mopes as she and Coco fall behind their teacher. Violet can't help but wonder what in Remnant she did to warrant getting stuck with her nemesis. Hopefully, whatever Glynda has them do, they can get it done quickly and without any words spoken between them…

.

Glynda takes the students to an elevator, in which they descend down to the basement, also known as the Archives. As the metal doors slide open, the girls are greeted with the sight of a lot of green. Violet figures it's for the headmaster. The tiles are glossy, there are extremely tall columns at the entrance to every hallway that branches off from the main corridor, and at every intersection there's a large intricate symbol in dark green tile. There are torches placed along the walls, which are lit by a green flame, giving the room a very…green feel.

Glynda turns down the first hall on the left, and then starts to speak. "We've just received a shipment of armor, Dust, and ammunition from Vale. You two are being tasked with going down to Beacon's port and collecting it. Then you are to bring them to the elevator. When you're done, come to my office."

They've just reached a dead end when Violet raises her hand. "Um, professor? How are we supposed to get down there?" Glynda, without missing a beat, stops in her tracks, walks over to her right, pulls a lever down, and then what seemed like a dead end suddenly starts to open up. Large steel doors slide open, leading into some sort of cave system, lit by torches with the normal orange flame.

The teacher faces them. "This is how I expect you to get down there." As she turns around she adds, "Also be on the lookout for Grimm. Good luck, girls." Then, she leaves. Violet sighs and looks into the dimly lit abyss.

Without looking at Coco, she says, "Look, I know we have our differences, but neither of us want to be here. So let's just focus on getting this done fast, okay?" To her surprise, there's no sort of response. Violet looks over at her temporary coworker to see that Coco seems to be unnerved by the tunnel. Her eyes are wide, and her hands are shaking ever so slightly. Violet looks at her oddly before tapping her on the shoulder, causing the usually cool-headed leader to flinch.

"What?" Coco barks.

"Uh…are you okay?"

"Fine." Coco looks back into the cave. "Let's just get this over with…" Violet frowns, but doesn't push on the matter any more. She leads the way into the tunnel, and she can hear Coco walking behind her cautiously.

Once inside, it's rather dim. After making their first turn, it makes it even harder for Coco to see—Violet, of course, could see just fine, which is why she walks in front.

"How do they expect anyone to walk through here?" Coco complains.

Violet glances up. "I can see maintenance lights in the ceiling. It looks like they're not working, though. Maybe whatever Grimm is in here chewed through a cable or something."

"Shut up," Coco hisses. "Just shut up!"

Violet flinches. "Okay, okay!" They continue forward, Violet doing whatever she could to make things more bearable. However, she just couldn't help but fret over the negativity Coco was probably letting off. After a few minutes of building her courage up, Violet finally makes her move.

"Coco, I really think you should calm down. Your emotions are going to bring the Grimm to us."

The other girl scoffs. "What, are your doggy senses tingling?"

"Why are you such a jerk?"

"I'm not. I'm just putting you in your place."

"It's amazing how you have any friends."

"They aren't White Fang sympathizers."

"I'm not either!"

"How do I know that?!"

Suddenly, the tunnel rumbles, bringing both girls to a stop. Violet's faunus ears try to hone in on where it's coming from, but it's impossible to tell. A few moments pass…and then it's silent.

Violet takes a deep breath. "Okay. That's the Grimm. Whatever it is, it looks like it's burrowing underneath the school." Rubbing her chin, she adds, "Hopefully this hasn't been a problem for too long, otherwise I figure the structural integrity of the campus will be put into question. If we can just lure this thing out somehow, then maybe we'll have a chance of a fair fight." She looks to Coco in case she has any ideas, but instead the girl looks shaken. Even more so than before. She's visibly quaking with terror, frequently looking around as if the Grimm will attack them at any moment. Violet figures it will, with all of this fear radiating off of her tag-along.

"Coco," she says quietly. "You need to calm down."

"You calm down!" Coco's voice cracks again. "I wouldn't even be down here if it wasn't for you!"

"I just wanted you to leave me alone!"

"Well now what Violet?!"

Suddenly, there's a large crash from where they once came. Violet covers her face with her arms, and peeks through to see a large black segmented body cutting through the tunnel. It's like watching a train barreling down the tracks. She whips out her pistol and shoots at it a couple of times, but that seems to hardly do anything. She watches the end of it come and go, and before she can hurry down the tunnel after it, it suddenly caves in. She flinches, but no one's hurt.

She sighs. "Well, we're not going that way anymore…" She turns to keep walking, except Coco has fallen back onto her behind. Her sunglasses have come off of her face and are lying beside her, not yet broken. Her eyes are incredibly wide, her mouth is hanging agape, and all of the color has drained from her face. She's beginning to tear up.

Violet swallows nervously. "Coco?"

That ends up being the trigger. The tears start rolling down the fearless leader's cheeks as she angrily turns her head away, trying to conceal them.

She grits her teeth angrily, growling, "Don't look at me…!"

Violet looks at her gently. "It's okay to be scared."

"I'm not scared!" Coco whimpers. She turns her body to try and get back onto her feet, but she seems to get stuck on her hands and knees.

Violet sighs. "…You know, back when I was in Menagerie, my Mom used to sing me a song when I got scared."

"Oh Gods."

"But I was scared of something ridiculous." Violet huffs. "I didn't want to disappoint anyone, especially the people I look up to." Quietly, she adds, "People like you."

After a moment, Coco's posture starts to relax. She hunches over as she chuckles. "You were always such a showoff in school."

Violet crosses her arms. "I wanted to be just like you. Strong, confident—"

"Is that why you asked me out?"

Violet, quickly getting flustered, blurts, "Okay can we please not talk about that?!"

Coco smirks. "Cute."

Violet takes a deep breath. "We need to focus on the mission, okay?" She turns around, and Coco finally gets back onto her feet. Violet looks down sadly. "…Did something happen to you, Coco?" She glances back at her. "You look really shaken."

Coco, after a moment, grabs her shades and brushes them off, putting them back on her face. "When I was a kid, I liked to play games with my brothers. One day, we were playing hide-and-seek, and I thought I had the perfect hiding spot. I crammed inside a kitchen cabinet, and then I waited. It felt like I was in there forever…" Coco swallows nervously as Violet begins to notice her shaking again. "After a while, I figured I won. So, I pushed on the door to try and get out…I don't know what happened, but the door got stuck. I couldn't get out…!" Tearing up, she adds, "I was screaming and crying for help, but no one heard me…I don't know how long I was trapped in there but eventually my Dad heard me and let me out. My brothers were outside looking for me—I guess they were out there by the time I started shouting…" Coco takes a deep breath. "I…don't do great in small spaces like this. It reminds me of back then, and I can't help but get…nervous."

Violet, after a moment, responds. "Thank you, Coco. For telling me all of that."

"This doesn't make us friends." Coco glares at her threateningly. "I'm not going to forget what you did. You tricked your team into trusting you, but I know you, Argyle. You don't like humans and you never did. Not even your Aunt—"

Violet suddenly lurches forward, pinning Coco against the wall. With a feral glint in her eye, she growls, "Don't ever. Question my loyalty to my family, or my team."

Coco shoves her. "You're not scaring anybody." Suddenly, there's another rumble. The girls look around, and Violet notices Coco's hands shaking again.

Wordlessly, Violet starts walking down the tunnel. "We need to move." She doesn't mention the danger of getting trapped, as a way to try and ease her rival's nerves. Coco doesn't say anything and follows her. Violet continues to speak, "If we're going to fight this Grimm, then we need to get it out of here. There's no way we have any chance in here. Not to mention the more it digs, the more danger the school is in."

"This is its territory," Coco points out. "It won't exactly be easy to lure it out of here."

"Then we'll need to find a bigger space. It must have a nest or something, right? Most Grimm have a homebase of some sort."

"The only way we'll find that is if it drags us there…"

The girls look at one another, Violet with a knowing expression on her face.

Coco shakes her head. "Nope. No, no. Forget I said that."

"It's the only chance we have."

"I'm not going any deeper into these damn tunnels! I'll get the supplies, you follow the Grimm!"

"I thought you weren't scared?"

"I'm not!"

"Then help me!"

"For the last time, I am not—!"

There's another rumble. The girls freeze, and suddenly the Grimm bursts through the wall, tunneling through again. It's zooming right behind Coco. Quickly, Violet transforms one of her pistols into a sword, tackles Coco into the Grimm, and plunges her sword into it. She holds onto both tightly, refusing to let it get away. Hopefully, they'll arrive somewhere they can actually fight this thing. And, hopefully, Coco won't kill her the moment they stop…

.

Meanwhile, Glynda is walking into her office to contact Ozpin. She pulls out her scroll and calls him. His face appears on the screen with his signature smile.

"Hello, Glynda."

"Miss Argyle and Miss Adel are taking care of our issue with the Grimm as we speak."

"Ah, good. I'm surprised you went through with it."

"You mentioned that the issue was urgent. This is, how you put it, 'killing two Gryphons with one stone.'"

"You seem rather calm, Glynda."

"Of course. We sent two first-year students to venture underneath the school through a cave system where there is little room to move to fight a Grimm they have never seen before in order to save their entire campus from collapsing, killing thousands of students and faculty should they fail." Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she adds, "Is there anything I'm missing?"

Ozpin hums in thought. "No, I think that just about covers it."

Glynda narrows her eyes at him. "You're reckless, Professor Ozpin."

"I prefer the term 'eccentric,' thank you." She growls at him, and he simply smiles back and picks up his coffee mug, holding it into frame. "I've got another call. Don't let those two destroy the school while I'm gone." He takes a sip before ending the call. Glynda sighs in frustration, but nothing can be done about it now. Who knows, maybe they've already done it.

.

Coco wails and panics as the walls of the tunnel zip by her face at a rapid pace. She wrestles with Violet's arm which refuses to lessen its hold on her.

"You're crazy!" Coco screams.

Violet shouts back, "We're fighting this thing, whether you like it or not!" While she was doing her best to put on a tough facade, she was very much panicking on the inside. There was a huge chance that this thing wasn't going to stop and she was making everything infinitely worse, but she was trying not to think about that and focuses on hanging on for dear life.

Finally, the thing barges into a larger portion of the cave system, similar to a large room. Violet releases Coco and pulls her sword out of the Grimm, and while Coco somehow manages to land on her feet, Violet lands on her back. She gasps for air, and her temporary partner stands over her.

"Huh. So you really are as graceful as a dog."

Violet grits her teeth. "I didn't hide in a freaking cabinet…!"

"Shut up!"

The Grimm suddenly intervenes by hissing fiercely at them. It looks like a giant centipede, with white bony plates on its face and down its back. Violet slowly gets back onto her feet, equipping herself with both of her swords.

"My guns won't do anything," she pants. "But maybe yours will do better."

"Let's hope." Coco, seemingly back to normal somehow, flawlessly swings her handbag around, transforming it and taking a wide stance with it. As she starts riddling it with bullets, Violet charges forward and also avoids the line of fire. Immediately, Coco's bullets seem to have some effect on it. It darts towards her, so Violet swings her swords around to slash its sides as it zooms past. Coco is forced to disengage and transform her gun back into a briefcase in order to roll out of the way.

"You need to keep that off of me!" She shouts.

Violet runs past her. "I have a better idea!" She starts charging at the Grimm, which has turned to face them. Coco growls and tries shooting at it again. The Grimm hisses at them, and Violet jumps into the air right for it. Coco stops shooting because now this purple beansprout is in her way.

"Would you get out of the way?!" She watches as the Grimm quickly burrows into the ground, forcing Violet to land into a roll. The two girls look around anxiously, waiting for it to pop out again…and then of course it re-emerges right under Violet. She panics as she is thrown into the air, before catching herself between two very large pincers. She grits her teeth as she tries to hold them open, using her semblance to summon more arms to try and help her out.

Coco rolls her eyes. "I better get an apology after this." She transforms her briefcase back into its lethal shape, before using her semblance Hype. Semi-explosive rounds come out from the barrels of her gun, doing an immense amount of damage to the Grimm. It hisses in pain, releasing Violet and causing her to fall to the ground. It tries to dart towards Coco from a different angle, but Violet with what little strength she has left grabs onto one of its clawed legs and gets pulled along. She stabs into it with her swords before unloading many, many bullets into it. She successfully severs the Grimm in half, and it slides across the ground, stopping beside Coco. It slowly begins to vanish into black smoke, and the two girls meet up again.

Coco crosses her arms expectantly. "I'm waiting."

Violet sighs. "Okay, okay, so maybe I should have listened to you…" Coco arches an eyebrow, causing Violet to groan. "I definitely should have listened to you…"

"I don't care about that. You need to listen, Violet, every plan doesn't have to be yours!" Coco shakes her head. "I don't know how your team deals with you, if you fight like that."

Violet lowers her head, and quietly, she agrees. "I don't know either." Coco glances at her, and the faunus covers half of her face with her hand. "I'm such a terrible leader. I just get on everyone's nerves! That's apparently all I'm good at. I mean, look at you!" Violet gestures to Coco. "You're getting along great with your team! I've made so many mistakes already…" She lowers her head. "Maybe I shouldn't have been the team leader after all…"

Coco sighs. "You're really going to make me work today, aren't you?" She takes her sunglasses off and looks at Violet firmly. "Ozpin made you the leader of your team for a reason. The only thing you're failing at is believing in yourself, and that's what causing you to let down your team. You can't lead if you don't take charge of yourself first." She puts her shades back on. "Now please get us out of here. The only thing I hate more than being in a cave is being in a cave with you." Violet blinks, before chuckling. Coco frowns. "What are you laughing at?"

She smiles. "Thank you." Coco crosses her arms and looks away wordlessly, and Violet leads them back towards the main passage. Eventually, they end up down at the Beacon Docks, and Coco immediately pulls out her scroll.

"I am not. Going back in there."

Violet crosses her arms. "We can't get back that way anyhow. The Grimm blocked off the way we came." She scratches her head. "What was that, anyway?"

"I'm not sure…" Coco looks it up on a search engine on her scroll, before showing it to Violet. "Something called a Centinel. It looks like they're native to Atlas, though."

"But that doesn't mean there aren't some here too."

Coco sighs. "I think we just witnessed that firsthand…"

Violet scratches her head. "Hey Coco, if it was so dark in there, how come you didn't just pull out your scroll? It has a flashlight, doesn't it?"

Coco freezes up completely. "Um…" In a mutter, she admits, "I didn't think of it…"

Violet smirks. "What?"

"I said I didn't need it, jerk." Violet smiles. It's very little, but there is progress between them.

.

Coco had contacted Professor Goodwitch, to tell her what had happened. The professor arranged for an airship to come pick them up, as well as the supplies down there. Once arriving back on campus, the students were greeted by Ozpin and Glynda themselves.

Ozpin, holding a cup of coffee, takes a sip and smiles. "Well hello, girls. It seems you've succeeded in procuring our things."

Coco bows respectfully. "And we took care of the Grimm, sir."

Professor Goodwitch nods and pushes some buttons on her tablet. "Very well. I've just given you both your extra credit. Consider yourselves ahead of your peers, for the time being. If you continue to do well, you'll both be head of your sections."

Violet nods. "We'll do our best, Professor Goodwitch."

Ozpin tilts his head. "I must admit, I'm rather surprised by you both. You seem to be getting along for once in your lives."

"The mission came first," Coco insists.

He smiles knowingly. "Very well then. Off with you, then. I'm sure you both had something planned for today. Give my apologies to your teams—I hope they've managed without their leaders." The girls glance at each other before walking into the dorms, where their teams probably were.

Violet, after a while, rubs her arm. "Coco?"

"What?"

"I just…wanted to say thanks. Again. And I'm sorry. I know I didn't pull my weight back there, but I—"

Coco suddenly stops in her tracks, silencing Violet by putting a hand in the air. "You did fine." Reluctantly, she crosses her arms and looks away from her. "I was the one who got scared…You managed to pull me back to my senses. We both have some work to do, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. But I will stay on top of you, Violet."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Are you done accusing me of being White Fang?"

Coco frowns. "Maybe."

All of a sudden, another voice cuts in. "Violet!" The girls look, and it's Violet's teammates. Anna was the one who had called for her, and was running towards them.

Violet smiles. "Hey Anna."

The shy girl's cheeks are pink, but she does her best to ignore whoever this stranger is next to her partner. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course!"

Nero and Lincoln walk up behind Anna, Lincoln being the first to wrap his arms around his leader and sob dramatically. "We thought you were deeeeeaaaaaaaad!"

"What?"

Nero crosses his arms. "Professor Goodwitch told us what she sent you and Coco to do. After it took you so long, these two started to get worried."

Lincoln pulls away and sniffles, snot dripping from his nose. "You're okay, right?"

Violet smiles. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looks over at Coco, who's got her eyes set on Anna. Without realizing it, Violet steps between them. "Do you believe me now?"

Coco frowns. "Yeah, move." She brushes by Violet and saunters up to Anna. "Hey."

Anna's heart starts beating a million miles a minute. "Oh—h-hi…"

"I'm Coco—Coco Adel." She holds her hand out to shake, and Anna grabs it delicately.

"I'm Anna."

Coco smirks. "Pretty." As Anna's entire face turns red with shock, Coco shakes her hand and walks off.

In utter disbelief, Anna hides her face behind her scarf. "What just happened…?!"

Nero places his hands in his pockets. "If I were going to guess, it sounds like she's into you, Anna."

Lincoln gasps excitedly, already miraculously cleaned up from a moment ago. Bouncing, he asks, "Really? Oh my gosh, Anna you're making so many friends!"

Nero shakes his head. "Oh brother."

Amidst all of this, no one notices Violet, who is staring off in the direction Coco had walked. The only emotion on her face was anger. For some reason, there was a fire rising in her gut, an urge to seize that girl by the throat and strangle her. Violet's hands ball unbelievably tight, her knuckles turning white. This means war.


	7. Taking A Break (Sorry)

Hey guys! I just wanted to give you an update. I know I was behind recently, and honestly I still am behind. And yes, I know the previous chapter is relatively short and honestly I think it's pretty garbage. A lot of things just happened in my personal life, things I couldn't foresee, and I just can't bring myself to do this right now. I'm doing alright, but I need some time to recover and get back on track. Right now I'm focusing on my school career while spending time with my family. Currently I'm working on a "Dungeons and Dragons RWBY campaign" to go on with them, and I think I would like to work on that some more before returning to VNLA. This hiatus shouldn't last more than a couple of months, if not less. I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone with this unscheduled absense.

In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you could help spread the word about VNLA! It would be nice to come back to a slightly larger fan-base. If you know anyone who wants an alternative to RWBY, by all means, send them this way. Remember to check out our DeviantArt Group Page, and we are always searching for any fan art either for RWBY or VNLA. I'm always open to hearing thoughts, suggestions, and critiques, so don't be shy. I'm happy to answer any questions, as are my co-writers. I'm always in touch with USB-Meister, so we're always ready for comments and reviews. I wish you all the best of luck in all of your endeavors and I'll see you in a month or so!


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